Restoration
by flowerchild33
Summary: Following the defeat of Voldemort, the new administration comes up with a plan to restore wizarding Britain from the brink of extinction. This time though things will be different and incentives will be given to marry and procreate. NO CANON PAIRINGS. M for a reason after first chapter. Listing the four main characters, but will have a lot of characters included. **ON HIATUS**
1. Marriage Law of 1998

**Alright, something new I've had churning for a bit and I can't help myself. I want to try a new spin on the marriage law trope. This first chapter is shorter, but it sets the stage. I'm going to try for a couple of posts a month. All pairings will be non-canon, because I want to do something different. I have a color coded table of everyone with their blood status mapped and pairings are decided already. That took at least an hour or two to map and plan and color. I can be organized when I choose :-) Anyway, please let me know what you think. I know this has been done, but I think this take is unique.**

o-o-o-o-o

Chapter 1 – The Marriage Law of 1998

Everyone staying at Grimmauld Place woke shortly before eight and gathered at the trestle table in the kitchen for breakfast as usual. Unlike usual they didn't hurry through breakfast to be off to Hogwarts for another day of rebuilding. Instead the entire group of friends was huddled around Hermione and Neville, the two who received copies of the Daily Prophet. The Ministry had made announcements in previous Prophets, as well as on the wireless, for the past week warning that this issue would contain monumental news impacting all of wizarding Britain for generations to come. The Minister had even forewarned Minerva and she had called off rebuilding efforts for the day, apparently thinking the news would distract everyone too much once they had read it. Now, as the details of a new law came to light, it was obvious just how correct she had been:

 _MARRIAGE LAW OF 1998 INSTATED TO RESTORE MAGICAL BRITAIN FROM BRINK OF EXTINCTON_

 _Effective last night, July 1_ _st_ _, 1998, Minster of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt has ratified a new law passed by a majority of the Wizengamot after contentious debate behind closed doors. While marriage laws in the past have been met with ridicule and derision due to their mandatory nature and the fact that partners have been foisted upon individuals, this time the Ministry seeks a new way of meeting its goals. With this in mind, the Minister has crafted an entirely new marriage law with unique rules and incentives. Many of these incentives are largely funded with the proceeds gained from the seized assets of recently convicted or deceased Death Eaters._

 _Firstly, the reason for the law is two-fold. Magical Britain has seen a number of deaths due to the fighting in the war and seeks to regain its numbers. Also, prior to the war, births of magical children were dwindling in no small part due to some of the ideas espoused as part of the pureblood agenda that led to the war._

 _In seeking to recover these losses, the Ministry has been in communication with specialists at the ICW about current and ongoing research into the development of magical power in newborns, including the manifestation of power in newbloods, the term the ICW uses for muggleborns. The research indicates that close breeding of similar family lines eventually will stunt the growth of magic within a line, increasing the frequency of squibs, as well as decreasing magical power overall._

 _With this research in mind, the Ministry wishes to discourage the common practices of purebloods breeding within their lines._ _ **As a first step, the Ministry is hereby nullifying all British betrothal contracts.**_

 _The second half of this law is to encourage the partnering of mixed bloodlines as quickly as possible. Within the next two years, the Ministry aims for all wizards between the ages of 17 and 50, and all witches between the ages of 17 and 40, to diligently seek a partner. Furthermore, purebloods should seek out muggleborns first and halfbloods second and vice versa._

 _To encourage the populace to be diligent in this endeavor, the Ministry is putting in place a ranking system by which those who participate will see themselves rewarded accordingly. There will be a new department within the Ministry called the Marriage and Family Registration and Tracking Office. They will be responsible for assigning all witches and wizards a designation by number that will determine their placement for rewards, including future jobs. To simplify the process, every magical citizen within Britain will be assigned a number as follows:_

 _0 – ineligible for the program (married prior to the law, too old, sterile, other medical issue)_

 _1 – pureblood/muggleborn pairing_

 _2 – pureblood or muggleborn/halfblood pairing_

 _3 – halfblood/halfblood pairing_

 _4 – pureblood/pureblood pairing_

 _5 – magical/muggle pairing_

 _6 – unmarried (non-participating)_

 _Within the next two years, all Ministry departments will begin to change their hiring practices as the numbering systems become fully utilized. One of the first rewards of helping to rebuild magical Britain will see an advantage when seeking jobs within the Ministry. Job applicants with a category 1 rating will receive a 20% greater advantage over other applicants, although it is understood that category 0 will most likely be older outstanding Ministry employees. Category 2 individuals will receive a 10% advantage, while category 3 receives a 5% advantage. Categories 4-6 will receive a 20% disadvantage when being considered for a job with the Ministry in the future._

 _In addition, these categories will also be encouraged to be used with private businesses, although it is acknowledged that this will take longer to implement. It is planned that within two years private businesses working with the Ministry will be able to show what percentage of their employees are registered in each category. A higher percentage in categories 1 and 2 will see a business receiving preferential treatment when applying for licenses and patents with the Ministry in the future._

 _To further reward those who subscribe to this new law, the Ministry has seized a large amount of funds from Death Eater families and wishes to use those funds to provide wedding gifts for these marriages. The gifts will be as follows:_

 _Pureblood/muggleborn – 1000 galleons_

 _Pureblood or muggleborn/halfblood – 500 galleons_

 _Halfblood/halfblood – 200 galleons_

 _Beyond marriages of course, the goal is to rebuild the population of magical Britain. In the past, the Ministry has put mandatory stipulations on conceiving children. This administration is trying to change the way this law works and is again trying for a more voluntary approach. There will be no timelines for producing offspring, but for the next ten years the Ministry will be using the seized Death Eater funds to provide baby gifts for each child depending on the type of union as follows:_

 _Child of pureblood/muggleborn union– 500 galleons (per child)_

 _Child of pureblood or muggleborn/halfblood union– 200 galleons (per child)_

 _Child of halfblood/halfblood union– 100 galleons (per child)_

 _Finally, the Ministry has seized a large number of properties from Death Eaters and will be making these available for sale at a discounted price to those individuals participating in the program in categories 1-3. Once couples have their first child, the properties will be available for selection and purchase, with the idea that the properties be used for respectable family homes for their growing families._

 _In total, the Ministry hopes that these measures will provide the encouragement for young and middle age magicals who have not yet married to take the initiative to find their match and help to rebuild magical Britain into the bastion of magical strength that it once was._

 _*full details of the law, including all clauses are available from the Ministry upon request_

As everyone around the breakfast table finished hovering over the article the room was silent, stunned at the what they had read as each had a flurry of thoughts about what this would mean for them personally. The first person to break the silence was Hermione.

"I can't believe this! The government is intruding on our personal lives. How is this allowed? This is legal?"

"It was passed by the Wizengamot and signed by the Minister, so yes. Actually Hermione, you should read about Marriage Law of 1944. It was passed after Grindelwald's defeat and was also meant to help rebuild the magical population. It only applied to purebloods whose lines were 'guilty' of producing squibs in the last two generations, but the solution was to introduce new blood into the lines. In those cases, the Ministry hired a seer matchmaker to assign muggleborns to purebloods. In many cases, the couples only met each other days before they were actually married. And as part of the law they were required to produce children within a year, or produce medical proof why they could not. And that was not the first marriage law in the history of Magical Britain. In comparison, Kingsley has forged a very temperate path here, allowing everyone a good deal of personal choice and time to make that choice."

Hermione looked at Ginny in even more shock, then she looked around the table and saw Neville nod in agreement.

"Alright, so obviously as purebloods you know this history. Why does Professor Binns talk forever about goblin wars and never tell us about this?"

"Well Hermione, you know my opinion on Binns' class."

Hermione looked at Harry and snorted in disgust. As far as he was concerned, History of Magic might as well have been called 'naptime'.

"Anyway, what are we going to do, anything?"

"I don't know that we have much choice Ron. At least not if we want to have a future. With the way this law is written, it will be hard to find a job in the magical world in the future if you don't follow this law. I guess we all get busy dating, but we have to be careful about who we fall for."

"Well, even if I can't get a job at the Ministry if I don't marry someone soon, maybe I can play for the Cannons?"

"And the Cannons are licensed through the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I bet they will want to show that as many of their players as possible are either exempt due to category 0 or fall into categories 1-3. If you don't fit in those, I bet they won't recruit you. They'll want to keep the DMGS happy."

"Damn, it all comes back to the Ministry."

"Ultimately, most everything in Magical Britain does. Unless you leave the country, you better start dating."

"And don't look at me Ron, we already decided we were better off staying as friends."

Ron deflated and gave a bare nod at Hermione. Then the room's focus shifted to Harry and Ginny. They had gotten together briefly right after the last battle, despite the fact that Ginny had been on and off dating Neville during the school year. Now though the relationship had fizzled and they had broken up officially about a week and a half ago.

"What about you two? Are you going to try again? You'd be a category 2."

"I don't think so Dean. Gin, you know I'll always care for you, but we agreed that we'd grown apart too much in the last year. Anyway, as a halfblood I'm actually less desirable now with the way the law is written."

Ginny snorted at that.

"Yeah right. Like you will ever be less desirable. Just walking into any pub or club will disprove that. Dean, I know we dated a couple of years ago, but are you hinting? We're all trying to give you your space. Do you even know what you're officially categorized as?"

"I honestly don't know if I was hinting or not Gin. What Shay and I had was special, but you know that I go both ways. This law doesn't even give the option to be gay. I think the Ministry considers me muggleborn since mum has no proof if my father was a wizard or not."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, remembering too many friends that had been lost in the war. For Dean it was his friend and lover, Seamus. They had kept their relationship a secret until the end of the battle when Dean had collapsed across Shay's body, sobbing and kissing his face. It was now eight weeks post battle and he was just starting to come out of his shell a bit. The silence was finally broken by Luna.

"Actually Dean, the Ministry may want a lineage test. You can go to Gringotts, or the Ministry might do it themselves in the new department. With a bit of blood, they can tell you if your father was muggle or a wizard. If your father was magical, they can trace your bloodline back generations."

"But would you want to know?"

"Would they give me a choice?"

"Well, we have a bit of time, we can think on it. Let's not all rush to start pairing off. We don't want to cause problems with our friendships. We need each other right now."

"Very true. I guess since we have the day off we might as well use it. I have to run to Flourish and Blotts. Anyone else want to come to Diagon with me?"

A couple of others agreed and the group dispersed to more normal activities while the implications of the law were still foremost in their minds.


	2. The Carefree Life

**A quick side note unrelated to this story. I have a small (a bit over 500 words) songfic that I can't post on FF, because apparently songfics aren't allowed and I was asked to remove it back in May 2016. I've posted about it in my profile and was asked for a copy privately. To my dismay I thought I had lost it with some files about nine months ago. I was going crazy and finally found an old ost on a work computer, dug through it using Kernel's shareware OST viewer (thank you!), and managed to find it in an old drafts folder. The story is now recovered and backed up. It may be small, but I feel like I have recovered a lost child. The story is named after the song it's based on, _We've Got Tonight_. I can PM it to anyone who is interested. I am so happy to have found it I had to share :-)**

 **Alright, this update comes a bit faster than you can probably expect them in the future, but the first chapter was quite short and was just a warmup. I will try to keep updates to at least a couple of times a month. This is a bonus.**

 **Warning: M from this point on.**

o-o-o-o-o

Chapter 2 – The Carefree Life

Over the next several days the group of friends returned to their usual summer schedule helping with the rebuild at Hogwarts after the battle had destroyed a large part of the school. Soon the weekend arrived and those who were staying at Grimmauld were ready for a break as they decided to meet up with other friends at _Spellbound_ , the hottest new wizard nightclub in Puddlemere. It had opened just a month prior and was partially owned by members of Puddlemere United, including Oliver Wood. The opening had been delayed by the war, but now it was going strong after just a few weeks.

Upon arriving at the club, an entire group of tables was immediately claimed in the VIP section for all of the DA. Oliver had left school before the club had formed, but he was given honorary status as he joined and flirted with his younger former Quidditch teammates who were in the group. The drinks floated over from the bar and soon everyone was loosened up and out on the dance floor.

Harry was one who wasn't complaining, even though he normally wasn't a dancer. Except that dancing at the club was nothing like the formal waltzes he had trained for at the Yule Ball. And as he cycled between various curvaceous female friends, he and others were definitely happy wizards. He looked over and saw that Ron was gyrating between Susan and Padma and laughed. They had definitely come quite a ways from the Yule Ball. Then his mind went to the marriage law. Both Susan and Padma were pureblood, so neither of them would work for Ron.

' _Quit thinking about a stupid fucking law and enjoy the night. You're not shopping for a wife.'_

Harry decided to listen to the voice in his head, although he had to admit it was easier for himself as a halfblood and smiled happily as the song changed and he switched partners from Parvati to Katie, smiling at the way Katie's dress shimmered when she moved her hips. Then her thigh tightened against his groin and she winked at him as all other rational thoughts fled Harry's brain.

The rest of the night went much the same with more dancing and drinks with the occasional small munchies mixed in to soak up the alcohol. Sometime in the early morning hours the bank of floos at the club were fired up and the hostesses began tossing the powder and calling destinations for the pissed patrons, just the last of the services being offered that night at the high end club since no one was anywhere close to being able to apparate.

Harry and a number of others ended up back at Grimmauld and Harry found that Katie was still attached to him. She was only an occasional resident of the house, but the two of them had been cozy for most of the night and he certainly wasn't arguing as he led her upstairs to his room. He had enough brain cells left to be willing to accept what she was obviously offering as she nuzzled his neck. Around him he was vaguely aware of others partnering off to other rooms and was glad that Ginny was home at the Burrow, although he knew how unhappy she was with her curfew, but she was still underage. She often came by the house for breakfast, but she wasn't allowed to party with the group at least for another month or so. And now he was glad that his occasionally still clingy ex-girlfriend was nowhere around.

Harry and Katie reached the third floor and stumbled into Harry's room as they began to toss clothing aside. Or, in Katie's case, as she kicked her shoes off. Harry's shirt was the first to go and Katie growled as she ran her fingers through his chest hair before kissing him hard. Harry groaned in pain as his pants tightened even more. Then Katie yanked the offending clothing open and released some of the pressure for him. Over the next couple of minutes they fumbled the rest of the clothing off as they proceeded across the large suite to the bed. Harry hadn't had sex since a quickie with Alicia two weeks before and before that it had all been Ginny, his first, so he was more than ready as he tossed a giggling Katie on the bed before descending on her. Both of them were drunk and he wasn't the most experienced, counting his total times on two hands, so he was a bit fast and rough, but Katie still came screaming within a few minutes and Harry filled her to overflowing before the combination of sex and alcohol caused them both to pass out.

The next morning Harry woke and felt like he had gone another round with Voldemort as his head felt like it had taken a direct crucio. Next to him Katie groaned and looked over, just barely managing a smile.

"Urgh. Morning lover. Did you get the number of the hippogriff?"

"Afraid not. I think Hermione brewed some potions and put them in the hall bath. Let me find my pants and go look."

"Thanks."

Harry willed himself out of bed and found his pants before stumbling out and downstairs to the bath in question. On the way he found the potions mistress in question as Hermione stumbled out of a bedroom. Behind her he thought he heard a voice he recognized, except he didn't want to believe it.

"Good morning Hermione. Was that Dennis I heard. In your room?"

"Shit. Um, yeah."

Hermione pulled Harry into the bathroom they were both heading to and pulled out the potions in question. She downed one and looked immediately better as she handed one to Harry. He knew she had to have been feeling bad to use language like that. Then again, the war had taken a heavy toll on her. She handed him a potion and he took it quickly, feeling immediately better.

"Thanks Hermione. Now, do you want to talk about why you have a fifteen year old in your room? I was a bit surprised to see him at the club. I know he hasn't been coping well with Colin's death."

"That's just it Harry. I talked to him in the lounge at the club quite a bit. He needed a shoulder to cry on and well, it turned into a bit more. Look, I don't want everyone knowing this, he's going home shortly, but I can tell you anything. I shouldn't have done it, but he needed some comfort, so I figured why not, fifteen is legal after all."

Harry looked at her in shock and rubbed his face.

"Alright, more than I wanted to know. Were you his first…wait…no…never mind. Just be careful Hermione. You know I love you like a sister. We're all still dealing with a lot of crap and now the Ministry passes this stupid law as if we didn't have enough on our minds. Anyway, get the kid out of here before the rest of the house wakes up and I'm not saying anything. Now, Katie's waiting for this potion. Thanks for brewing them by the way."

"I thought I saw you and Katie wrapped up pretty tight."

Harry waved Hermione off and proceeded back up the stairs, trying not to envision the young man that his all-but-sister was returning to. When he got back to the room, Katie enthusiastically accepted the potion and sighed as it took effect.

"Alright, that's much better. Now then, I remember a bit of last night, but care to refresh my memory?"

Harry grinned and crawled over her on the bed as their lips met before the kisses trailed on down Katie's toned body. Soon he had her moaning quite loudly and someone on the other side of the wall pounded and reminded them that the previous night's charms had worn off. Harry chuckled and found a wand as he re-cast the charms before continuing with what he had been doing. As he suckled on a pulse point, he slipped back into Katie's delightful heat and groaned with pleasure as he began to set a slow rhythm. Then she rolled to the side and used her muscles to flip them both. Soon she was riding him in a persistent rolling motion and Harry was more than happy to let her lead as he watched the show. As he began to feel his own climax began, Katie's noises became more persistent and he grabbed her hips as he began to thrust up in time with her motions. They weren't quite in time with each other, but he came just a minute or so after her, pouring himself into her boneless body as she came a second time and begged off from any more stimulation, rolling sideways as both panted and tried to recover.

"Now that is the way to wake up."

"Definitely, although perhaps a shower."

"I agree, especially since you haven't seen my master shower."

Katie grinned as Harry rolled off the bed and reached to help her hobble to the spacious bath that was one of only two en-suites in the house. Being the master did have its perks.

The rest of the day was spent with various friends lazing about the house. With everyone still working at Hogwarts, no one had done much beyond maybe working with Fred or George* at Wheezes to get jobs. Harry was covering food and house expenses for everyone at Grimmauld and didn't much care as he had more money than he knew what to do with. A few entertained thoughts of Quidditch, but try-outs didn't begin until October. Until then everyone was left to deal with the aftermath of war and missing friends.

One thing that no one could ignore was the upcoming awards ceremony on the three month anniversary of the battle. The Ministry was insisting that all combatants receive Order of Merlin third class medals. Order of the Phoenix members were to receive second class medals, along with Neville, who was being upgraded for his work leading the DA revolt during his last year at Hogwarts, as well as killing Nagini. Then Harry, Hermione, and Ron were being awarded first class awards by unanimous vote. All of the awards were to be handed out at a ceremony at Hogwarts on August 2nd, which was another reason for the push to finish as much of the rebuild as possible. Many of the recipients weren't too thrilled with the medals, but they realized that some closure was needed.

In preparation for the ceremony, several weeks before, the Minister of Magic had arranged to stop and talk to the three main recipients about their awards. All were staying at Grimmauld, which he knew well from his Order of the Phoenix days. It was one week since the news about the marriage law and Hermione was only too happy to have a chance to talk to the Minister about his role in what she considered a travesty and injustice upon the lives of everyone in magical Britain. Thankfully Kingsley arranged to arrive in the afternoon so they were all awake and well sober by the time he showed. It was Hermione who predictably was waiting at the door, greeting him a bit coldly.

"Welcome back to Grimmauld…Minister…Come in."

"Hello Hermione. Thank you. I can see you aren't too happy to see me. Can I assume your demeanor is more to do with the marriage law than the awards I actually came to discuss?"

"You're a good politician Minister."

"Please Hermione, can we go back to first names. Are Ron and Harry waiting?"

"Fine…Kingsley. The guys will be down shortly. You are a few minutes early."

"Good then perhaps we should clear up the concerns you have."

They had reached the library and Hermione gestured to a chair, still giving off almost palpable waves of cold.

"Kingsley, let me be straight. Why? We just got done with a war to fight this kind of nonsense and allow us our freedom."

"I understand Hermione and I fought hard to maintain freedom with that law. Look, being Minister is not easy. It's a constant balance. If you're interested, I can get you the research data to show you the very real numbers that will show that the magical populace in Britain is in decline and at risk of extinction in the next thirty years. It has a lot of people frightened. A lot of those are in the Wizengamot and they were ready to start pairing people off as they saw fit. I could fight them, but it would mean giving up a lot of votes in other areas like Auror funding. It's a lot of you scratch my back, I scratch yours. But just because I was willing to allow some give, didn't mean I had to take everything exactly like they wanted it. I could take a marriage law like they wanted, but tweak it and allow personal freedom. If I decided to be bull headed and block it completely, those who wanted a marriage law would have blocked anything from happening in the Wizengamot at all for years to come. We would have been deadlocked. They weren't happy with my changes, saying that allowing people to choose will slow the process down, but in the end, they grumbled and conceded some. It's the way politics works."

Hermione listened as Kingsley talked and noticed that Harry and Ron had arrived also, appearing contemplative. She really hadn't thought of all the political intricacies that he would be facing. Sure, she'd read about some of it, but it made more sense the way he explained it. The idea of everything being deadlocked from portkeys to Aurors was horrific to think about. She supposed this law was a lesser evil if they had to have something. Harry was the first to speak though.

"Wow, damn Kingsley. I don't envy you. What a bloody mess. I'm glad you explained at least. I still don't like it, but at least we have some choice."

"Yes, alright, I guess I understand. I'm sorry for being so cold Kingsley. It's still hard to set aside my upbringing sometimes. So I guess you wanted to discuss the format for the awards ceremony, as well as how we plan on doing our speeches?"

Kingsley nodded and the discussion proceeded at a more civil tone. No one was very happy with the law, but they still had a couple of years before the full effects would be felt. The more immediate business was the awards ceremony.

The talk with Kingsley went for another half hour and then the Minister excused himself to return home to spend what brief time he could with his family, leaving those in residence at Grimmauld to wile away the rest of the day. Katie left to return to the flat that she was sharing with Alicia and Angie when they weren't staying elsewhere. She enjoyed her liaisons with the occasional guy, but wasn't up for anything serious.

The actual formal (although that term was fairly loose) residents of Grimmauld included Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dean, Luna, Parvati, Padma, and Neville. There were actually eight bedrooms in the house which meant that everyone had one of their own. It also made things easier when they decided to bring home companions after a long night out. Even the twins who were close preferred their space. As for who decided to accept Harry's offer of a place to stay, it was mainly those who had nowhere else to go and wanted to get out from under stifling parental or grand-parental control after the war. It was also largely acknowledged that the day after Ginny's birthday the eighth bedroom already had her name on it.

As for the other survivors of the battle, along with the three Gryffindor chasers who had a flat together, Fred, George, and Lee all shared a three bedroom flat over Wheezes. Then Anthony, Mike, and Sue had a flat in Tinworth near where Mike and Sue had grown up nearly next door to each other. Although it was two wizards and a witch, they assured their friends it was completely platonic. In Mike and Sue's case, they had known each other since they were babies. Their flat was affectionately known as the Ravenclaw Roost.

While all the various friends had spread out, they still kept in touch even months after the battle and several of them still planned on returning for their seventh, and in some cases, eighth years at Hogwarts to finally wrap up their educations. Whatever the case, in the initial days after the battle everyone had vowed to not drift apart and so far everyone had remained true to their word.

As the time for the awards ceremony drew closer, the checklist of items to be completed at Hogwarts grew shorter. The school would be far from perfect, but the main areas would be complete and the Great Hall would be ready in time. Thankfully for Neville all the work was finished by the 28th, well before his birthday. Although Headmistress McGonagall had already made the decision that neither of the upcoming birthday boys would work on their special days, even with the upcoming event.

After discussing it between themselves, Neville and Harry decided on a joint Friday night celebration on Harry's birthday on the 31st. Since the group of friends had been partying at wizard night spots a lot, the birthday boys opted to party muggle style, especially since they were turning 18, and were becoming officially legal in the muggle world. Dean made a suggestion that both wholeheartedly agreed to and the group rented a double-decker party bus for the night for the entire group of themselves and their friends. The bus featured lots of lights, a dance floor on top, blaring music, drinks, finger foods, and cake. The starting point was Grimmauld Place and from there the bus made a tour of the city, including some historical sights like Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly, but later making several stops at different nightclubs where the celebrants stopped to dance for a while. The bus finally brought everyone back shortly before four in the morning. It was a raucous and amazing night.

When Harry finally woke sometime in the afternoon after his amazing birthday he was momentarily surprised to find Luna yawning next to him. Then he remembered the night before. Somehow he had paired up with his unusual friend and discovered a different and fun side to her as they had partied and danced throughout the night. When they had arrived back at the house it had only seemed natural that they had proceeded back to his bedroom together. They had made love once and he remembered that he hadn't been up to his usual performance. He felt bad about that. Although she was smiling now. Maybe he could make it up to her. He cast a quick breath freshner and leaned over to kiss her.

"Good morning moonbeam."

Luna giggled.

"I haven't been called that since I was five Harry. Good afternoon actually."

They snogged and fondled a bit and Harry wanted to respond, but he desperately needed the loo. He excused himself and then returned and Luna also took a turn. Having an en-suite had its advantages. They proceeded with what they were doing and Harry soon had his latest lover moaning. Then she reached and ran her fingers down his length and he groaned.

"Harry I want you to shag me now that I'm awake to really remember it. I've wanted you for a quite a while."

He pulled back and gave her a look of shock that caused another small giggle. He was not one to deny a lady though as he plunged back in and resumed kissing her. Once she was suitably distracted, he slipped into her without warning, causing Luna to gasp and moan as she clutched his shoulders. Her muscles convulsed involuntarily around him and Harry slowed as he caught his breath before starting to set his rhythm as he looked into the pale blue eyes that stared back at him with undisguised lust as she began to meet his strokes in the age old dance. They continued as they adjusted their angle and each found the ideal spot to bring the best gasps and moans from each other so that before long each was calling the other's name as they shared a mutual climax that seemed to crescendo to an impossible length. Harry for one was surprised, never having quite achieved that level of synchronicity and loving every minute of it. When Luna final released him, he slipped loose from her and rolled to the side, momentarily spent.

"Gods Luna, that was bloody amazing. I wish I could remember last night more."

"Hmm yes, it was good, but nothing compared to…just…wow."

"I am hungry though. I wish I had a house elf right about now. I guess I'll have to face the rest of the house."

"I can go Harry. Anyway, I'm somewhat curious about who stayed in my room last night. I doubt anyone was in any condition to use the floo."

With that Luna seemed to have recovered more than Harry and rolled off the bed as she went to find clothing. After a bit of rummaging, she located her knickers. Then she pulled on Harry's dress shirt and left the room in just that. The shirt came to almost her knees, but the outfit was still enticing and Harry wanted to drag her back in the room, but he was still feeling wrung out. About fifteen minutes later, she returned with a plate of sandwiches, crisps, fruit, and butterbeers.

"Well Harry, I found everything we need for a bed picnic. By the way, a few people have left, but most of the house is having a lie-in. Mike and Leanne stayed in my room last night, but promised to do the laundry, which is thoughtful. Neville's with Susan. He says he thinks Hermione's with one of the twins, or maybe both, he can't remember which or he may have been seeing double. Anyway, she hasn't come out of her room. It's amazing how much she has loosened up isn't it? Dean's with that young Gryff we picked up when we made the quick stop by the Leaky…Ricky…Ritchie…that's it. But Neville also said Lisa didn't have a room and she went in Dean's room, so I don't know how that works. Lee is with Parvati and Padma grabbed Tony of course, but only Padma is awake so far. And that's all we know of."

Luna said it all without taking a breath and Harry shook his head with the sudden influx of information. He really tried not to think about how his friends paired off regularly. As long as they kept their rooms clean and took care of silencing charms, it was their business. Now his business was the bevy of food and a scantily clad blonde waiting at his bedside. He quirked a half smile that he had learned was irresistible and reached for Luna with one hand while simultaneously taking the tray of food from her with the other hand. He set the food down while he pulled her closer as she squeaked at him in surprise.

"Alright Luna, enough of the others, let's focus on us."

Harry kissed her soundly and soon had Luna cooing as he removed his shirt and began to caress her breasts, working his lips down her neck.

"Harrrry…I'm hungry."

At that moment, Harry's stomach betrayed him when it decided to rumble and he pulled back with a sigh. Perhaps some sustenance was a good idea. Luna giggled and Harry smiled. Something about her giggle was different than most girls, not annoying, more a musical laugh that he enjoyed. He pulled her up onto the bed and summoned a towel as he began to lay out their picnic. The next half hour was spent lazily feeding each other and talking companionably. Luna was clad in just her knickers, while Harry wore nothing and both enjoyed the meal completely. Harry thought that this was a truly unique experience. Even with Ginny, his most long-term lover, he had never done this. He and Ginny had usually fed each other a snack or two, but never a full meal in bed. They had never been this companionable. It had always been about getting to more sex. Sure Luna made some strange comments from time to time, but she was more grounded now than she had been in years past. He supposed with everything she had been through during the war that it had changed her some. He had never expected this when they had first been attracted to each other the previous night. Sometimes you could never plan on the curves in fate's road.

After both the lovers were quite full, Luna wrapped up their dishes and floated the tray back over by the door before cuddling back into Harry as they talked for a bit more. They discussed a bit about the upcoming awards ceremony the next day and then talked about plans for the future. Luna wanted to travel some and Harry knew he needed to talk to the Gringotts about taking control of his businesses more. He had decided that he was done fighting and had no desire to spend two years of intensive training to be an Auror. He had done plenty of that and was tired of it. Gradually talk drifted as they kissed more and Luna rolled over onto Harry and their mutual desire flared. When he slipped his fingers into her knickers, she moaned and he quickly did away with the last vestige of clothing between them. He worked her up to the edge of her peak before denying her and then slipping back into her amazing depths, causing her to cry his name as they started another round that would take them through the rest of the afternoon.

Harry and Luna would eventually be seen by some of their other housemates late that evening, close to eight when they appeared downstairs. Both were dressed for a semi-casual dinner out at a restaurant they both enjoyed a few blocks walking distance from Grimmauld. Although their all day sequestering brought a few smirks, all their friends were happy for them and no one was much surprised when they noticed that Luna's room was once again empty later on that night.

The following day marked Sunday, August 2nd, the three month anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. The day saw all the residents of Grimmauld up at a decent hour and many of the off-site friends started trickling in by around nine. The majority of the friends had decided to travel together and meet their families at the ceremony. Harry was happy to have everyone and with Dean's help started to cook breakfast for anyone who hadn't eaten, which was the majority of the group. By eleven everyone was fed, dressed, and in the back garden ready to apparate to their assigned spots in Hogsmeade.

Apparition assignments were spaced out over two minute timed intervals in different locations around the town, but gradually all the friends were in place and began the walk up to the school together for the ceremony. When they reached the rebuilt gates, Aurors were waiting to scan magical signatures and check everyone against a list of invites. It slowed the process, but no one minded the security.

Once everyone was cleared, the group of friends all proceeded together toward the castle they had all been helping to rebuild. It was amazing at how far it had come. Still, there were obvious signs of the recent destruction. Stone that was discolored where new had replaced old. Grounds that were not quite on level with what they should have been. The chasm bridge looked way too spiffy and new, a piece of modern engineering rather than the ramshackle bit of old magic that had once stood in its place. Hogwarts would never be the same, but they had all done their best to bring it back to what it had been. For some it would never be good enough. Some would never be able to return to school. Others felt an obligation. It was a deeply personal decision that each individual had to make.

After about a ten minute walk the group reached the courtyard and was greeted by Headmistress McGonagall, who now insisted that when school wasn't in session that they call her Minerva. She was intensely proud of this group of young people, both for having fought, and for coming back to help rebuild. She welcomed them and gave them the seating layout for the different Order levels. Of course Harry, Hermione, and Ron were sitting up front. Neville had to sit in the second row, while the others sat behind. Everyone stepped into the Great Hall and took a moment to meet up with their families before then going to claim their seats. Only a few minutes after they arrived, Minister Shacklebolt called the hall to order and the ceremony began.

The ceremony was poignant and long, with over one hundred awards to be handed out, over fifty awards posthumously. Those were the hardest. So many lives lost too soon. So many lost young with parents stepping forward for their children's medals. A lot of wounds that had started to close over the previous three months were opened again. Eventually the list of names was whittled down to the final three and Harry, Hermione, and Ron were called forward to each say a few words. Each spoke briefly about friendship and about the fact that they were pureblood, halfblood, and newblood. That was the most important legacy they wanted to carry forth. With that they then yielded the podium back to Kingsley and the ceremony was finally done.

Afterward there was a reception with small savories and drinks. The press was given a chance to mingle with all the recipients, but they mainly tried to corner the first class recipients. Thankfully, their friends did a good job at helping to block much of the attention. Finally, at half past two, the crowds began to disperse and all the recipients were finally able to start to leave with their families.

For one recipient though her family missed the day. Hermione's parents were still in Australia. Kingsley had the Australian Aurors looking for Monica and Wendell Wilkins, but the couple had gone missing after five months in the country. It was distressing for her, but she knew the Aurors were doing everything they could to find them.

With the ceremony past, different members of the group of friends continued helping on occasion at school, but also started to look forward and begin to really start planning for the future for the first time in months. School was now less than a month away and a few had decided to return. Among these were Ginny, Michael, Anthony, and Sue. Ginny didn't have much choice with her mum, while the Ravenclaws all felt shortchanged on their last year and wanted to repeat it. Shocking everyone, Hermione had decided not to return, but instead had taken an internship in the law department at the Ministry. Kingsley was thrilled to have her, even though the position was part time only, it would give her the chance to self-study to take her NEWTs when she felt she was ready. Luna was another who decided she had been through too much and didn't want to return. She actually took two NEWTs in August in Charms and Care of Magical Creatures, garnering and O in both, and had plans to gradually take additional NEWTs in a few years.

As for the other students that were due to be students or who had been students during the Carrows' reign, no one else decided to return and each had at least a temporary option of what they wanted to do. The Patil twins were going to work in their family's textile import/export business and self-study for their tests. Neville took his Herbology NEWT in July and passed with a double O, earning him a position at an exotic specialty nursery in Birmingham. He still had to decide if he wanted to test for any additional NEWTs. Ron decided to pursue his Quidditch dream when the season started in October while working part-time at Wheezes and doing self-study for his NEWTs, agreeing with Harry that maybe they had done enough fighting for a lifetime. Harry took some time off but then went in mid-August and started to take control of his family businesses. Dean meanwhile was still deciding what he wanted to do, although he pursued his art on the side, often producing packaging for Wheezes, as well as other advertising pieces.

While some may have questioned their paths, each individual knew that they had witnessed and experienced too much and that they had to find their own routes. Of course with the Ministry's recent dictate, they wouldn't be able to do that for long. They were enjoying the carefree life now, but soon they would need to start making some life changing decisions that would affect their careers and lives going forward for years to come.

o-o-o-o-o

 ***along with non canon pairings, I am choosing to leave certain people alive**


	3. The Trio

Chapter 3 – The Trio

A month had gone by since school had started up again and autumn had claimed Britain with a vengeance as rain turned to sleet and bitter winds regularly swept through London. All of the friends from the DA still saw each other frequently, but without the regular work at Hogwarts, socializing was now limited to partying in various groups on the weekends and that was limited to whatever funds were available. This was helped somewhat by the payouts from the Order of Merlin awards. Third class awards received 50 galleons, second class received 200 galleons, and first class received 1000 galleons in reward money. At a current exchange rate of around 21 pounds to the galleon, the money was not insignificant. Harry was still covering living expenses for those at Grimmauld, but he wasn't magnanimous enough to pay everyone's bar tab, especially if he wasn't with their party crowd. Over the previous couple of months reality had gradually set in and everyone had begun various employment. It was called adulthood and it was embraced with varying degrees of acceptance.

One thing that still wasn't being fully accepted was the marriage law that had been passed several months previously. A few of the friends chose to just ignore it for the time being, while others chose to write vehement letters to the editor of the Prophet, denouncing it soundly. One of these was Hermione, whose status as an Order of Merlin first class recipient saw her letter printed on the second page of the paper. Unfortunately it didn't see any change to the law. Harry and Neville both had hereditary seats on the Wizengamot that were due to them at the age of twenty, but the effects of the law would be felt before then. Also, the first class awards would grant seats to the recipients when they had reached majority age plus ten years, or age 27, but that would be an even longer wait. After talking with her pureblood friends, Hermione had tried to find more support for overturning the law, but hadn't come up with much of a solution. Kingsley had already run into a very large roadblock and it was unlikely that, short of a violent revolution, they would find a workaround. And everyone had already had quite enough fighting. At least Kingsley and his allies had worked it so that they would have some choice.

In mid-October the group of friends found themselves at yet another wizard club for one of their frequent nights out. This one was called _Pixies_ and it was located in Hogsmeade. The location had been chosen so that their friends who had returned to school could join them for a night on the town with special permission from the headmistress. The subject of discussion before the night and alcohol got out of hand was the marriage law. Everyone knew that Hermione had been digging through the legalities and looking for any loopholes.

"So Mione, any luck? Can you get us out of it?"

Hermione glared at Ron for shortening her name and shook her head as she huffed.

"No, I haven't found anything. The Ministry has enacted similar laws a total of six times before this. So this is lucky seven. Although I don't know if we should count this one as lucky. I will have to admit that it is the least restrictive. At least it's not as bad as the one in 1592. Then people were given as little as two days' warning about their matches before they had to appear before a magistrate for their bindings. Then a crone was assigned to witness the consummation and confirmation that all brides were virgins."

"Merlin and Morgana! They had someone watching you shag? Then they looked for proof? What? Blood?"

"I guess. Like I said, it could be a lot worse. I don't see any way out of it unless we want to take the penalty to our careers and such and just not follow the law. There's always that possibility. Or leave Britain altogether. Sorry, but I don't have anything else."

"Alright, well we knew it was a long shot. So the new hiring practices go in place in a bit less than two years, so we still have a little more time. I say for tonight we dance and get a bit pissed."

"Aye. Here, here!"

Everyone grabbed drinks and downed them in a toast before starting to pair off and head for the dance floor. The group of friends all rotated partners throughout the night with breaks for drinks and small finger foods. At one point Hermione found herself back at a table in the corner to rest her sore feet and was surprised to find Blaise Zabini already there. The Slytherin had come as a guest of Ollie Wood, being a recent recruit to Puddlemere. She didn't know him well, but he had seemed pleasant enough with everyone earlier. As she sat and nursed her drink, they chatted and then after a few minutes, she accepted his hand and they returned to the dance floor together.

Meanwhile, already out on the dance floor, Harry found himself paired with an unlikely partner. He and Sue Li had been dancing on and off for the better part of an hour and had even been back to the table and had managed to talk a bit. Now she was practically glued to him and he was not complaining as her lithe form moved in time with him. As the latest song changed, so did the lights. When the lights dimmed further, they moved across the dance floor and Harry decided to press his luck as he leaned in to nuzzle Sue a bit. Soon they were snogging and she seemed quite receptive as her hands began to roam as well. Then she pulled back just a bit and looked around. Seeing what she was looking for, Harry felt himself suddenly pulled as they resumed snogging. Then he found himself in a small seating area that had been abandoned behind the bar. Sue quickly cast repelling charms on the area and Harry grinned as he fondled her more.

"Harry, I have to get back in time for curfew or McGonagall won't let us have privileges again, but I want a bit of fun with you before I go."

"Whatever you want my dear."

With that Harry claimed her lips again as he cast a non-verbal obscuring charm while at the same time pulling the top of her dress down so that he could fondle her breasts. Sue didn't have much to play with, but Harry still worked with it and moved his mouth down to flick her nipples. She meanwhile was busy with his belt and zipper. As soon as she had his tight jeans open enough, she freed his cock and moaned as she gripped his thick length. Not wanting to take too much time, Harry lifted Sue, pulling her dress up around her waist. Then he pushed her knickers to the side and found that she was more than ready for him as he immediately seated her back down onto his waiting cock. If the music wasn't so loud, everyone would have heard her initial scream. Then Harry set his rhythm to the music as his mouth met hers and she held on with everything she had. The pace was perfect and neither lasted long, although once again Harry took a bit longer and drilled his partner past her peak until he poured himself into her, causing her pass out on his shoulder before he finally slipped from her. When Sue recovered and Harry set her feet back on the ground she groaned and kissed him hard as he began to clean them up.

"Damn, thanks Harry. They're already stressing us with the workload. I needed that."

"Sure thing Sue. That was bloody fantastic. So curfew?"

"Unfortunately yes."

Harry shrugged and helped her finish fixing her dress as they canceled the charms on the corner where they had secluded themselves before going back to the dance floor. A short time later the Hogwarts' students said goodbye to their friends, although the others stayed to party a while longer. A couple of hours later the club made its last call and everyone hit the floos. Again Grimmauld was the destination for many.

The following morning Harry once again woke with his head feeling a few sizes too large. This was becoming a regular occurrence and he was getting smarter, having grabbed a couple of potions from the hall bath as he had stumbled by on the way through in the early morning hours. Then he looked over and saw the beautiful vision next to him. Once again Luna was his nighttime companion. They'd been more of a regular thing the past couple of months and he thought he might be getting addicted to her. In fact, come to think of it, his quick shag with Sue was the only time he had been with someone other than Luna in over a month. Harry groaned as he thought about that as he downed his potion. As the potion took effect, he sighed and praised Hermione's brewing skills. Next to him Luna woke and smiled brightly at him.

"Morning Harry, do you have another?"

"Of course Luna, here you are."

Luna took her potion and amazingly grew even brighter. Then she cast a freshening spell before proceeding to snog Harry a bit. He sighed and pulled back.

"Luna, I'm happy with where we are, but one sec."

Harry quickly got up and went to the loo with Luna following him to take a turn. As she sat Harry stopped to talk to her as the two were settled comfortably together.

"Luna, before you get me all wound up again, I need to talk."

"Sure thing, you've got some wrackspurts. They just appeared overnight."

"Um yeah, I'm a bit distracted, that may be why. Look Luna, what's going on with us? To be honest, I'm not sure how serious we are, but we haven't talked about it and I really like you. You're more than just a fun shag to me. We've been doing whatever this is for a while now, but I need to know how you feel. Also, I kind of had a quickie with someone else last night and I'm not sure how to feel about it."

"I noticed you and Sue disappeared for a while. Was she good?"

"Um, well, it was quick, but yeah. Look, I'm a guy. A quick shag with a hot witch in a club is never really bad, but she's just a friend and a bit of fun. Are you mad?"

"No, I guess not, like you said, we haven't exactly decided on what we're doing. What do you want Harry?"

"I'd like you to be my girlfriend Luna. I've only had one other official girlfriend though and that was Ginny. So I'll warn you, I'm not the most experienced at being a boyfriend. I do care about you though and I want to try for something more than quick shags with friends."

"Alright, I think I'd like to be your girlfriend. Now Harry, will you please shag your girlfriend."

Harry grinned and grabbed Luna as pulled her around and pushed her toward the bed.

Meanwhile downstairs Hermione was waking up in a much more awkward situation. Next to her was someone that she had never expected to come home with, Blaise Zabini. The former Sytherin had turned out to be quite a charmer though and Hermione had to admit that she had quite enjoyed going several rounds with him, not getting to sleep until the first rays of sun had started to peek through her curtains. In fact she was still feeling delightfully sore from some of their exercises. Gods, what had happened to her since the end of the war? She hadn't just lost her inhibitions, she had tossed them out the window into the back of the garbage lorry. Well, at least she was making sure she kept up on her contraceptive and disease potions. The magical world was definitely ahead of the muggle world on that. Three potions a month kept her safe from pregnancy as well as all sexually transmitted diseases.

Thinking of potions, she seriously needed a hangover potion. Groaning, she rolled out of bed and found a house robe as she went to the bath next door. A minute later she was feeling much better and grabbed one for Blaise as well as she returned to her room and her latest lover. When she woke him, he was a bit surprised when he saw her and obviously remembered the previous night. Then he gratefully accepted the potion and a kiss. She didn't offer him any repeats, but he seemed fine as he dressed quickly and wished her well before leaving.

The following Monday saw Hermione and others back at their various jobs and once again having to face life back in the working world. For Hermione this meant the last month of her part time internship with the legal department at the Ministry. The work had been interesting, but she still wasn't sure what she wanted to do long term. She still had a passion for changing laws and fighting for justice, but after seeing a bit of how the Ministry operated and talking with Kingsley more, she wasn't sure if she wanted to work in the grind of it on a daily basis. She felt that it might crush her if she tried. She had a seat on the Wizengamot coming to her in a few years' time and thought she might like to work from that angle and perhaps from the private sector. If she didn't work within the Ministry though, she would need a job eventually. Living with Harry kept things cheap and she had money saved, but it would only last so long.

She had been thinking more about what she enjoyed and she truly enjoyed potions and Runes. With her Ministry job being part time she had been studying a lot in her off hours in preparation for her NEWTs and had discovered that Potions was a lot more fun without the dungeon bat hanging over you. Runes had always been fascinating and she had rediscovered her love for it. She'd also been working with spellcrafting and arithmancy quite a lot. It gave her a number of avenues she could explore. She wished there was a way to combine them all. One thing was certain, the law department at the Ministry wasn't the way.

While Hermione was busy exploring her different interests, Harry was taking lessons in business courtesy of Gringotts and several different advisors that his account managers at the bank provided. He discovered that the Potter and Black accounts that he had inherited had been under stasis management by the bank for years and had seen moderate growth, but could have been much more profitable with active management. Over the course of several months Harry became familiar with the wide range of business investments that he held in both the magical and non-magical world. He had to learn about property investments, stocks, bonds, annuities, equity investments, limited partnerships, and a plethora of different antiquated business options that dated from medieval times. Still, through it all he found most of it fascinating. It was like a giant puzzle to put all together. After a couple of months as the businesses came together more and he got a better grasp on it all he truly began to enjoy watching the reports that showed that the businesses were beginning to flourish.

As Harry's businesses began to come under his control more he also needed to take a more direct handle on a few of the physical businesses and not all were in England. He arranged portkeys to take him to a number of locations on the continent and the first was to Belgium shortly after he and Luna officially decided to start dating exclusively. She joined him and they spent a happy week in Belgium followed by another week when he went to see a business in Germany. The business only took a day and then they spent a week sightseeing. A couple of weeks later saw the couple taking another portkey to Spain. Three weeks after that they went the opposite direction when an emergency at a manufacturing plant in Columbus, Ohio saw the young couple taking a trip to the States. Harry had always wanted to travel and now he was finding a good way to combine business and pleasure with his pretty girlfriend along for the ride. As a side trip when they went to the States, he and Luna also took a drive to investigate Point Pleasant, West Virginia, since Luna insisted that the Mothman sightings were actually some type of magical creature she had read about. Harry didn't care, he had recently worked with Hermione to get his driver's permit and was happy to take a road trip with his girlfriend. Soon their travels began to include both business as well as fanciful side jaunts. Harry always made sure to pack extra books and food to keep himself occupied and he was plenty happy.

The end of October saw Hermione finishing her internship at the Ministry. Kingsley appeared at her desk two days before her internship was due to finish and Hermione welcomed him warmly.

"Good afternoon Minister. I heard you had a busy morning."

"Yes. I appreciate everyone's work on those briefs though. The meeting would have taken a lot longer if everything wasn't as organized as it was. That wasn't why I was coming by though. I know you are due to leave us in a couple of days. I asked Martha and she said she hasn't received any applications from you."

"No. I thought about possibly applying for Darius' position since he is leaving in a couple of weeks, but Martha advised me against it. I don't know why, I think I could do well in it. Honestly, I'm not sure law is what I want, but that is the one position I would possibly consider."

Kingsley frowned.

"What about the assistant position? That would be a good starting point. And if you get a good ranking under the marriage law in a couple of years it would place you well. As for Darius' position, Martha already has two category 0 existing people who will be applying."

"Damn. Really? That law is already taking precedent? I thought we had a couple of years before we had to deal with that."

"Well, it will be a couple of years before it's widespread, but it is in effect now. Category 0 are understood to be older, established employees with experience. And we're advising current employees to think ahead about their future categories."

"Alright, fine. I'm definitely not interested. I'm looking outside the Ministry. I know I will still be impacted, but at least it won't be as constantly in my face. Sorry Kingsley, I know you did what you could to soften the blow, but this is still hard."

"I'm sorry we're going to lose you Hermione. What are your plans?"

"For now, I plan on taking some NEWTs in a few days. Then study some more and take a few more down the road. They never tell us in school that you can arrange the tests on schedule as long as you pay the exorbitant fees."

"Well, good luck."

Hermione nodded as Kingsley left her cubicle and she returned to her work, angrily shuffling papers. She was ready to be done with the last days of her internship.

The third member of the 'Golden Trio' was also looking to his future as he tried out with his beloved Chudley Canons. All of the professional Quidditch teams had begun their try-outs during the second week of September and Ron had started with Puddlemere, who always went first. They were nice enough, but he didn't get beyond the second day. The Montrose Magpies had been next, then the Caerphilly Catapults, Falmouth Falcons, Pride of Portree, and finally his beloved Chudley Canons on October 2nd. The day was windy and cold, but it was at least dry. He wanted to play keeper, but the team was only trying out for chasers. Willing to do anything to play for the Canons, he spent three days putting his all into every training run. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and on the third day he was cut from the training routine. Ron returned to Grimmauld with a bottle of firewhiskey to warm himself after being blown across the chilly moor for days on end. He wasn't too surprised, he knew he wasn't the best chaser, but it was still a difficult blow.

Three days after being cut from the tryouts for the Canons, with much encouragement from his friends, Ron decided to keep trying out with the last couple of teams that were still running tryouts. After all, as his friends had pointed out, Quidditch was Quidditch, even if it wasn't the Canons. The next team was the Kenmare Kestrels and they needed a new keeper and a beater. Ron went out for the keeper position, but by the second day the team captain pushed him out and made him try for beater instead. Amazingly the tryouts kept going for another five days, the longest any tryouts had yet gone. By the end of it, Ron had an offer to play beater for Kestrels. It wasn't the position or team he had originally tried for, but Ron signed, happy to officially be a professional Quidditch player.

While Ron was busy flying in Kenmare, Hermione took her NEWT tests in Potions and Runes, opting to start with the two subjects she felt strongest in. Taking your NEWTs on an individual basis was not a cheap or easy proposition. It required an appointment three weeks ahead of time and cost 70 galleons a test. Being late to an appointment counted as a miss and required waiting a year and there were no refunds. Needless to say, most people showed up quite early for their appointments. Results then could take anywhere from one to three months. Hermione took her Potions NEWT a week after her internship finished. The theoretical exam was two and a half hours followed by a one hour break and then a three hour session of brewing. A week and a half after that she took her Runes exam that had a two hour theoretical exam followed by a one hour break and then a two hour practical carving exam. Nastily exhausting about summed it up.

With both of her first two NEWTs complete, Hermione was back at Grimmauld and studying while she thought about what she wanted to do next. An answer then literally fell in her lap one Saturday when the group was all together back at _Spellbound,_ which they had been missing after nearly a month away from the club. She had just sat down to rest her feet when Fred came careening off the dance floor and landed on her with an 'oof!'.

"Oops. Sorry Hermione me love. Georgie doesn't know his own strength. What's a pretty lass doing over here by herself?"

"Resting my feet. How are you Fred? How's the shop? I haven't seen you in a while."

"Shop is good. Too good some days, but don't let George hear me say that. That's why we've been scarce. Never worked so hard in my life. So what have you been up to?"

"Not much. Studying for NEWTs. I'm waiting for results on my Potions and Runes NEWTs."

"Pfft! I'm sure you scored higher than Merlin. Wait, Merlin invented NEWTs didn't he? Or was he a newt?"

Hermione laughed and shook her head. Fred always could cheer her up.

"You know Hermione, if you're ever bored, you could come by the shop. We could use someone with Potions and Runes experience. We're always brewing up interesting projects."

Hermione turned and looked at Fred curiously. Now there was a thought. Despite their scores in school, the twins work with their products was truly brilliant. She wouldn't mind seeing their workshop and looking behind the scenes.

"Hmm, you know, I may take you up on that Fred. I really haven't got much going on."

"Brilliant! Now, how are the feet? Ready to dance?"

Hermione laughed and nodded as she allowed Fred to take her hand and lead her back to the dance floor.

That night surprisingly Hermione took quite a few spins on the dance floor, but took no one to her bed. That was a first in quite a while. It was probably a good change. She really had been partying a lot lately. Her parents would be shocked if they could see how much she had changed.

Thinking of her parents made Hermione morose. There still were no leads from the Australian Aurors on her parents under either their aliases or their own names. She'd had them check under both in case the memory charms had failed. She hoped they were at least alive. Kingsley had asked a couple of other nearby countries to be on the lookout for people under both names as well, even if they didn't actively search, but so far nothing had come up. It was difficult, but she struggled to push morose thoughts aside and move on. She had done everything she could to protect them.

The Monday after her talk with Fred at the club, Hermione put in an appearance at Wheezes and was glad to find that the day was one of their quieter ones, although quieter was apparently relative. Still, the guys were thrilled to see her and turned the counter over to Lee as they took her on a whirlwind tour that ended back in the workshop. Once they were there, George was called away and left Hermione and Fred to discuss a couple of ongoing projects. Hermione was again left with the amazing impression of how brilliant the twins actually were as she and Fred spent the rest of the morning finishing up a couple of potions and restocking some necessary supplies for the shop. Before they took a break for lunch, Fred made her a formal offer of employment as a research specialist with a more than fair salary offer and Hermione accepted immediately. Starting that afternoon she began her first tasks as she took over a long list of to-do items that the twins never seemed to get completed.

Over the next month Hermione buried herself in her new job and found herself loving it. She never would have imagined herself working at Wheezes, but the environment was truly stimulating. The twins were easy to work for and had matured to the point where they still kept up with their pranks, but at appropriate times and levels. Also the shop wasn't all about pranks. There were also practical ideas that developed in between the prank items. It was during lunch one day a few weeks after she started that Hermione brought an idea up to guys.

"Fred, George, I know you've been thinking about expanding the shop into the empty space next door, but I have another idea you may want to think about."

"Sure thing. Lay your brilliance on us."

"Well, most of your products are pranks and jokes of course that fall under the Wheezes titles, but maybe 15% are more practical items. Things like the shield hats and rune items. And the percentage is only going to increase, especially with the rune work that I am doing. These items are not really Wheezes. You need a smaller side that is more practical items. I've given it some thought and the decision is yours of course, but my suggestion is Weasley's Wizard Wares. Move the practical stuff over into the new storefront and you'll make the space you need for new Wheezes items on this side."

Fred and George set down their chips and looked and her with matching grins. Then they turned and grinned at each other as silent acknowledgement passed between them. George gave his brother a nudge and a wink before turning back around to Hermione.

"Alright, you've surpassed even your brilliance this time Hermione. Now I think Fred needs to conjure up his Gryffindor sprit."

Lee and Verity laughed and shook their heads as Fred grabbed Hermione and dragged her to an office. Hermione looked a bit bewildered.

"Fred? You don't like the idea?"

"Hush. The idea is bloody brilliant like George said. Right now you're on your lunch hour. So you're officially not working and I'm officially not your boss for another twenty-two minutes. Now I need to show you just how brilliant and sexy I think you are."

With that Fred proceeded to pull Hermione close and started to kiss her, starting slow. As she responded, pulling tighter to him, he deepened the kiss and began to snog her. When they both came up for air, both were smirking at each other.

"Damn. I've been wanting to do that for weeks, but this whole being your boss thing sucks. Look Hermione, I would like to take you on a date, but I want to keep things professional here at the store. Keep the two separate. I don't want you to feel any pressure."

"I appreciate that Fred. And I'd like a date. I know we had some fun briefly a few months ago, but that was just a fling. I thought I was just another passing girl you picked up at a club and I was fine with that then, but since I've gotten to know you more these last couple of months, I've started to appreciate you more. I guess maybe I've had enough of the loose party scene and I want to try something a bit more serious. But I do want to keep things professional at the store."

Fred smiled and pulled her closer for one more brief kiss before taking her hand as they went out to find George and the others. As soon as their hands were noted, George whooped and congratulated them. No one was terribly surprised and lunch was able to resume as the topic of conversation was the expansion into the new Weasley Wizard Wares.

The next two weeks was quite busy at the shop as the new store was prepared and everyone worked overtime to get ready for a grand opening before the Christmas holidays. The new store wouldn't be fully stocked for a while yet, but gradually it would fill up, especially as new products were constantly being developed.

Even with the new store in development and business of the existing store still booming, Fred and Hermione managed a number of dates over the weeks. Mainly they went out to eat after work and maybe went for walks after. They spent a lot of time talking more than they had in the past and Hermione found that the war had matured Fred a lot. He had come close to dying and it had changed him noticeably. Along with their dinners, he accompanied her to the symphony once and then they went to the cinema, which he enjoyed much more than the symphony. By far their nicest night out was when they celebrated Hermione's NEWT results, a not surprising Outstanding on both tests.

Finally, ten days before Christmas, the new Weasley Wizard Wares opened to great fanfare. All the Weasleys, as well as quite a few friends were on hand to help with the crowds who came out for the special sales offered that day. Instead of working in the back, Hermione was out front to help with the madness. Fred and George were in their element, schmoozing with the crowd. The day was great fun and the new store was a hit. That night at a celebratory dinner Fred offered a toast to his beautiful girlfriend, whose idea had prompted the new store. Hermione blushed, but happily let Fred pull her to his side.

o-o-o-o-o

 **Well the muse has been kind to myself and my readers and I've gotten regular posts to get this story off and running. I can't promise that will continue. Right now the posts have been weekly, which is better than the bi-weekly that has been my goal. Again, I will do my best.**

 **One additional note, I decided to do a rewrite on a small story that I wrote two years ago that needed some help. I've learned a lot in two years and the dialogue in it especially was dreadful. The story is _The Voldys-Gone-Moldy Party._ It's about 6,200 words, so it's an easy read and I decided to post the chapters as new posts to flag new readers, especially since the story really is dramatically improved. The story is a brief, fun foray into the lives of the main characters after the war. If you haven't seen it, you may want to take a look. I'd appreciate it. Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	4. Neville

Chapter 4 – Neville

While things were going well for the trio, their friends were also getting on with their lives. For Neville his job that had started as an apprenticeship in August had moved to full time in October. He was working as an exotic plants specialist with a focus in sub-tropical species. The nursery where he worked was based in Birmingham and had been in business for nearly a hundred years, providing specimens to apothecaries around the world. His double O on his Herbology NEWT had served him well to get him a placement and they had been more than happy with his work there since. Several other Hogwarts graduates worked there as well, since the war had caused casualties within the nursery's employees and they had been rebuilding their ranks like many others.

On a personal note, Neville was still living at Grimmauld and appreciated Harry's hospitality. His gran wasn't as happy with him, but he needed to be away from her smothering. He also knew that she never would have tolerated the level of partying that he had taken to with his friends after the war. He had surprised even himself when he and Luna had first started dating. Although they had only lasted about a month, after that he had enjoyed a few casual relationships and he had allowed himself to come to an acceptance that he was at least somewhat attractive to witches. In September he and Fay went on a couple of dates, but never made anything official since they both realized that they were better remaining as friends. After that he returned to casual relationships with friends, even sleeping with Fay once, but it was all just for fun.

As the months progressed though it all became a bit tiresome and he decided that he wanted something a bit more permanent. Also, as much as he hated to go along with the dreaded law, Neville also knew that as a pureblood he needed to start looking for a partner before long. With that in mind, he sat down one afternoon in early December and drew up a list of witches that he knew and found attractive who he might consider and who were either halfblood or newblood. He preferred the ICW term instead of muggleborn. Crossing off those that he knew were already in relationships, he came up with Sue Li, Alicia Spinnet, Tracey Davis, and Angie Johnson.

Once he had the list, Neville had to analyze who to talk to first. Sue was difficult because she was at school, so she wouldn't be first. Alicia was working at the Ministry and he could owl her readily. Tracey was even easier since she worked at the apothecary in the office, but he found the Slytherin a bit intimidating. Angie was working at Quality Quidditch and helping at Wheezes on occasion, so she was also easy to talk to. He had to admit that he had a bit of a crush on the Gryffindor chasers. They were always fun and outgoing, not to mention toned and beautiful. With pleasant memories in the forefront of his mind, Neville made his choice.

Two days later Neville made a trip at lunch and floo'd to the Leaky before taking a walk down to Quality Quidditch. He was glad to find that Angie was in the shop and he made a point of browsing while she helped another customer. Of course, he didn't know much about Quidditch. Thankfully, the other customer left not long after and Angie came over to him.

"Hi Neville. Can I help you with something?"

"Hi Angie. I was just on my lunch hour and decided to drop by. You're looking nice today."

"Thanks Neville. I'm wearing my store uniform robes, but anyway. You work up in Birmingham. We're not exactly in the neighborhood. What can I help you with? You're not a Quidditch buff."

"Damn, you've got me there Angie. I actually came by to talk to you. I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner Friday night?"

"Really? Well that's a surprise. I am free though and that sounds like fun. Neville Longbottom, who would have thought. You have yourself a date. Can we try a new Indian place I heard about?"

"Sure, wherever you want. Thanks!"

Neville was grinning and feeling much better than he had a moment before. Angie herself actually looked a bit surprised still as Neville excused himself when several more customers came in the store.

Three days later Neville found himself accompanying the lovely Angie Johnson to dinner in muggle London, which was a new experience. Although he had visited a couple of muggle clubs with their friends, he had never eaten in muggle restaurants. Angie though was happy to guide him through the experience. Thankfully he at least was used to dressing muggle and looked sharp in jeans, a button down shirt, and sport coat. Angie had to admit that the pudgy little boy that she remembered as a first year had long since disappeared. Neville himself was quite happy as well with Angie's attire of a simple form fitting electric blue cocktail dress.

Dinner was a long affair with numerous courses, all featuring a range of flavors that Neville loved, even if most he had never had before. He and Angie talked throughout and eventually the topic of discussion came around to the most pertinent of the night.

"So Neville, why did you decide to ask me out? Why now?"

"Several reasons. I've had a crush on you for a while. Honestly, on all three of the Gryffindor chasers. I hope it doesn't offend you if I say that the three of you together were like a trio of hotness for the boys in the dorms…"

Angie chuckled, but then made a motion with her hand for him to continue.

"Anyway, since the end of the war, we've all been figuring out what to do and what we want. I dated Luna briefly, but I didn't really have any other serious relationships. Fay and I sort of tried. I won't lie and you know anyway since we all partied together that I've been with other girls, but it's just been fun and sex. That's fine for a while, but I want more. And now there's this law that we have to consider as well."

Angie frowned.

"Ah, I see, so the truth comes out. So, if I'd been pureblood, you wouldn't have asked me out? That's why we're sitting here and not you and Katie?"

"I won't lie, but it is part of the reason. I do like you. I hate that the stupid law has to play a part in this, but it does. I am enjoying the night. I hope we can keep having a good time and maybe see if there can be something more."

"Alright, look I'm not thrilled, but I guess I can't blame you. How else are we going to go about this mess anyway? I do understand what you're saying about wanting more than just the shag buddies. It does get a bit old after a while. You're a good guy Neville, a hell of a lot better than some I've been with."

The rest of the evening went well, even if there was a bit of tension that never quite left the conversation. After dinner, they walked around a nearby park for a while before Neville gave Angie a chaste kiss and she apparated back to her flat with a promise that she would owl him.

That owl arrived a couple of days later and the following day Neville and Angie went out for a night of dancing with just the two of them. A week after that they went out for dinner again and then Angie decided that Neville needed some additional muggle education and took him to a movie theater. Seeing the latest Star Trek movie was mind blowing for Neville, even if Angie had tried to prepare him for what he was going to see. After, they wandered to an all night cafe for coffee and dessert before finding an alley where they apparated back to Grimmauld together as they began to breathlessly snog.

When they landed in the back garden of Grimmauld, Neville pulled back from Angie for just a moment before the fire in her eyes told him everything he needed to know as he led her quickly inside and up to his room. He was grateful that they met no one on the way. As they went, they continued groping and fondling and he was glad to not have an audience. As soon as they were in the room, clothes started flying and Neville thought that this was going to be a hard and fast shag. He was sober though and knew that he wanted more for his first round with Angie so he pulled back for a moment as he looked at her beautiful body.

"Ang, let's slow down just a bit. I want to enjoy you. Let me pleasure you."

"Gah, alright, please don't take too long Nev."

Neville nodded and continued to finish stripping her. Then he laid her back on the bed before he pulled off the majority of his own clothes, leaving only his briefs on. With that done, he cast the charms on the room and on himself before leaning over to continue snogging his girlfriend.

As they kissed and fondled, he moved his lips down to her neck and then to her breasts as his hands moved lower. When his fingers finally probed her, he found that she was already quite wet and he smiled knowingly as he began to lightly finger her, causing her moans to increase as his lips drifted further south. Soon his fingers drifted as well as he knelt and let his lips move to her navel as he ran his tongue across her stomach. Above him, Angie was trembling and starting to beg as Neville smirked. Finally, his tongue reached and began to caress her lower lips before slowly parting them to find her bud. When he finally flicked her clit with his tongue, she mewled in delight and he began to work in earnest as he worked her bud while simultaneously dipping his fingers back into her core. Before long he had her trembling on the edge of her peak when he knew he needed to stop. Standing up, he dropped his briefs and then plunged in, sinking his entire cock into her in one swift motion as Angie came immediately with a howl that threatened to break the silencing charms. Despite her convulsion, Neville held onto her as he kept a steady rhythm that drove her to the brink of insanity and then took her over the edge a second time just as he flooded her before collapsing at her side. Several long minutes later Angie began to feel her extremities again and managed to speak.

"Bloody fucking hell Nev. That was…just…wow."

"Yeah…wow."

They rolled to the center of the bed and kissed for a while before falling into a blissful sleep that would consume them for the rest of the night. When they woke the next morning Angie was the first to come around as she looked over at her latest lover. Neville had truly surprised her. She wasn't sure where their relationship was going, but last night had been a pleasant surprise. Gradually he seemed to realize that her focus was on him and began to stir as his eyes fluttered open and he yawned.

"Good morning gorgeous."

Angie kissed him and yawned.

"Good morning. I really wish I hadn't agreed to take a Saturday shift now."

Neville frowned and then shrugged.

"Oh well, you did warn me. Do you have time for a shower?"

Angie smiled and took his hand as they rolled out together and grabbed clothes before ducking carefully out of the room. Once they saw that no one was in sight, they made a quick dash to the bathroom next door. After a leisurely and fun mutual shower, they found some food downstairs and then Angie reluctantly said goodbye.

Over the next week Neville saw Angie a couple of more times before the Christmas holiday arrived and she became quite busy at the store. She spent one more night at Grimmauld and Neville was enjoying their time together, although he wasn't sure just how attached he really was to the pretty witch.

For the holiday, both had plans with their families, but Christmas Eve was left free and they spent the evening with their extended group of friends at Grimmauld, where Harry threw a large party with copious amounts of food and alcohol. For those who had been out of touch and hadn't realize that Neville and Angie had paired off, they were all quite happy for the new couple. That night Angie stayed with Neville until the early morning hours when she finally left to return to her parents' home so that she could be in place for her family's festivities. For Neville, his plans were to floo to Longbottom Manor first thing in the morning to exchange presents and have brunch with his gran.

After the excitement of the holidays passed, Neville made a point of taking Angie out like usual, but soon they settled into a routine and both began to feel something was missing. It was a couple of weeks into January when they were relaxing by the fire at Grimmauld that Angie decided that she finally needed to say something.

"Nev, I really enjoyed dinner tonight. Italian is always a good bet, and I like being with you, but what is happening with us?"

"Hmm, what do you mean Ang?"

Angie leaned back away from Neville and looked at him.

"I mean you're a great guy Nev, but I feel like what we have has gone stale. I just don't feel a fire. I think maybe in the beginning I was trying hard for it. I know we've always had friendship, but I don't know if we've got that extra spark. Damn, this is hard."

Neville sighed and sat up instead of reclining back in the comfortable sofa.

"I think I know what you're trying to say Angie. I think I tried more in the beginning and I haven't been trying as much lately. Maybe I should try more?"

"I think you can only try so much though Nev. I think there has to be something to build on. Friendship is a good start, but for romance there has to be a spark. I've felt it before, but I don't know that we have it. We certainly have lust at times, but that's different."

Neville sighed and rubbed his face.

"So what, you want to take a break then?"

"I think it may be best to go back to being friends Nev. These last few weeks have been great and I'm happy we gave this a try, but I think it's best."

"I suppose you're right. I do care about you Angie. I'm sorry this didn't work."

Neville took Angie's hand as he said that and kissed her fingers. There were tears in his eyes and Angie was having a hard time holding back her own tears. Neville really was a great guy and he would be great for someone, but just not for her.

"Alright Nev, I'm going to go. You take care and we'll stay in touch. We're friends still."

Neville nodded as he watched her go. If he was honest, this wasn't a complete surprise, but it still hurt. He got up and went to Harry's well stocked bar and poured himself a good measure of scotch. Then he went back to sit and stare at the fire as he thought about the last few weeks he and Angie had spent together.

After he and Angie broke up, Neville focused on his work and set aside thoughts of dating for a while. He wasn't a complete recluse, but his social activities revolved around groups of friends rather than individual dates. He still saw Angie during these times and was glad that they remained friendly. It was during one pub crawl in February where Angie brought Alicia over to where Neville was sitting with several others. The two sat down and joined the conversation for a while. When the others went to go find refills and Alicia went to the loo, Angie decided to give Neville a nudge.

"So Nev, you and Alicia seem to be getting on well. What do you think of her?"

"We're friends of course Ang. Anyway, I told you I crushed on all of three of you at one time. Of course I like her."

"So why don't you ask her out? I know for a fact that she and George are taking a break and she's bored. And she's halfblood of course. Not quite as good of a match as the two of us, but still."

Neville chuckled.

"I can't believe you're fixing the two of us up."

"Hey, you're both friends of mine. Anyway, at least think about it. You shouldn't mope over what we had for too long. I know you said your nursery licenses with the Ministry, so they're going to have to follow that fucking law before too long. Even the shop gets their licensing through the Department of Magical Games and Sports and my boss had a talk with me about compliance. It's a fucking nightmare."

Neville just shook his head and downed the rest of his pint. He could only agree with that. Soon the others arrived with refills and Alicia came back not long after. He enjoyed spending time with the group, but later in the evening he was glad when he managed to pull Alicia aside by herself.

"Hey Alicia, I was wondering if you'd be interested in something a little quieter one night? Maybe just the two of us could get dinner somewhere and talk without so many interruptions by all our friends?"

Alicia grinned. She'd been waiting to see if Neville would get the courage to ask her.

"That sounds nice Nev. I've got a full week, maybe next Friday?"

Neville agreed and they discussed details before leaving to rejoin their friends.

The following Friday arrived and per their discussion, Neville met up with Alicia at a muggle Chinese restaurant a couple of blocks from the Ministry after she got off of work. The place was quite nice and Neville found himself enjoying the varied cuisine as he and Alicia talked about their jobs and how their work over the previous week had gone. The evening was simple, but pleasant. Once they finished they walked for a bit and then Alicia was yawning and begged off a bit early as she apparated home after promising to send Neville an owl.

Two days later Neville and Alicia met again to attend a small theater company that Alicia was interested in seeing. The show was well done, although Neville found it a bit boring. After they found a pub and enjoyed a simple meal. Alicia was excited for a project that she was beginning the next week and talked about it throughout dinner. Neville remained attentive, but not enthused. When they finished, they separated with a brief kiss and went their separate directions.

Later in the week Neville had a slow day and arranged to take a long lunch. He sent an owl to the Ministry that morning and Alicia agreed to meet him at a nearby sandwich shop. The morning passed quickly and then he cleaned up before leaving to apparate to London for his lunch date.

Alicia was waiting for Neville when he arrived and was a bit harried from her complex project that week, but tried to set that aside as she greeted Neville and they sat down to lunch. They talked for a couple of minutes and then the conversation drifted to nothing as the table grew quiet. Finally Neville had to say something.

"Alicia, is something wrong?"

"No, not really, I've just got my mind elsewhere and I know you're not that interested in my work."

Neville sighed and set down his bag of crisps.

"I think we need to talk Alicia. We've been dating for not quite two weeks, but I don't know if this is working. I consider you a friend, but I don't know if we've got enough in common for anything more. We can barely talk before we run out of something to talk about."

Alicia stopped eating and nodded.

"I suppose you're right. I've noticed it as well. Angie thought we'd be such a good match and she's always right, but even she had to be wrong sometime I guess. Look Nev, I appreciate you being so great about this."

"I don't want to lose our friendship. I just don't think we should make ourselves miserable forcing something that isn't going to work."

Having come to an agreement, Alicia nodded and they resumed their lunch with a few brief bouts of conversation. Once they were done eating, they exited the restaurant and Neville gave Alicia a quick hug before they went their separate directions back to their jobs.

With yet another potential relationship failed, Neville decided he needed a break for a while and threw himself into his work with a new vigor. He began to study more and looked at a number of possible areas of study that could perhaps be used for his mastery in a couple of years. In addition, when he was back at Grimmauld, he studied a couple of other subjects to prepare to take other NEWTs that he had missed. With Hermione living in the house he and the others were lucky to have the best tutor in England as a house mate.

Gradually February and then March faded as spring began to seep into Britain. With the arrival of new color, Neville knew that he had to start once again to think about dating seriously. Not that he had been a hermit. He hadn't even been chaste in the previous months, but he hadn't focused on an individual relationship. He was beginning to think about returning to his original notes when life brought someone to him.

Neville was working in greenhouse twenty-six at the nursery one day when his boss announced that the sub-tropical division was getting a transfer from the arid plants division. A recent retirement had opened up space in Neville's division, allowing for the transfer. When the transfer came over, Neville was surprised to find that it was Tracey Davis, a Slytherin from his year. He had thought she was working in an administrative capacity in the offices. She was introduced around and then assigned to shadow Neville for a couple of days.

"So Tracey, it's good to have you, but I hadn't realized that you were out of the office now."

"Yes, I move to Arid in mid-December. I only started in administrative to get my foot in the door so to speak. I didn't get a double O like a certain Mr. Longbottom. As soon as I could, I took the first dirt position I could get. What I really wanted was Sub-Trop. Now I'm here. I'm Slytherin, I take what I can get and then wait for the next opportunity."

"How'd you know about my score?"

"Please! I worked in the office, there are no secrets up there. The handsome Mr. Longbottom is quite the subject of the gossip mill."

Neville blushed and decided to change the subject as he turned her attention to the plants that they were looking at. The tour continued with the rest of greenhouse twenty-six and went on to include some of the other fourteen greenhouse that made up their area of specialty. As the day finished, Tracey brought the subject back to personal matters.

"So Neville, I appreciate all the help. Can I repay you sometime. Perhaps dinner?"

"I think I'd like that. Friday, after work?"

Tracey smiled and agreed as they went their separate directions.

The rest of the week went well with Tracey shadowing for a couple more days before being put on a few small tasks on her own while she became familiar with her new area. She did well and learned quickly and Neville enjoyed getting to know her more. She wasn't as intuitive with the plants as he was, but she learned quickly and had a gentle touch with them that the delicate plants responded well to. He had been a bit hesitant around her due to her being Slytherin, but he found her not to be anything like he had expected as he soon set aside the last of his prejudice.

When Friday arrived they decided to go with one of Neville's favorites and selected Greek. Tracey had had Greek food, but had never been to a Greek restaurant. The lively atmosphere and music surprised her at first, but soon she was loosening up with the wine and quite enjoying the good food and fun environment. Neville found her surprisingly easy to talk to about a wide range of topics. She was halfblood, but had been raised primarily in the magical world. Her mum had seen to her being exposed somewhat to the non-magical world though. Her status saw her having to balance on a fine line within Slytherin house and often being persecuted by some of the staunchest purebloods, meaning that she was highly opposed to the pureblood ideals. She had a genuine love for Herbology and was gifted with Potions. Neville realized by the end of the evening that with Tracey the conversation flowed even easier than it had with Angie.

By the end of their large meal, Neville and Tracey had finished a pitcher of wine and had tried a couple of shots of ouzo. Even though they had also consumed large quantities of food and had taken a couple of hours to consume it all, both were feeling decidedly relaxed. So, when a live band of Greek musicians set up on a stage at one end of the restaurant, it didn't take much to convince them to join in on trying the local dance. Neither quite knew what they were doing, but both gave it a good effort. By the end of the evening both were in no shape to apparate anywhere so they caught the Tube back close to Grimmauld and then walked arm in arm back to the house. Once they were there, Neville gave Tracey a long kiss by the fire before she floo'd back to her flat. Then he stumbled upstairs and fell asleep completely dressed.

Neville and Tracey saw each other next the following Monday and it didn't take long for their co-workers to realize the two were together. If Neville thought it would be a problem with his boss, he was quickly relieved of any concern. His boss was happy with the match, having checked both their blood statuses and declared that he thought they were a good match under the new law. It irked Neville some, but he really like Tracey and he liked his job, so he decided to leave it be.

Over the following month, Neville and Tracey continued to see each other every weekend. By their third week together Tracey began spending regular nights at Grimmauld and became a fixture at the breakfast table, where she began to know Neville's Gryffindor house mates more. She and Hermione actually got on well and she and Ginny didn't do badly either. She also accompanied Neville to the frequent party nights that the larger group of friends enjoyed and any initial wariness that a few might have had wore off quite quickly as everyone got to know her, especially once they saw how attached she and Neville were.

As May arrived and the anniversary of the battle passed, Neville felt that his life was going well. Tracey was a large part of that, as were his large group of supportive friends. They still had a bit over a year until the law went into full effect, but he was truly starting to feel like his life was turning around.


	5. Pairing Off

Chapter 5 - Pairing Off

After Neville and Alicia briefly tried dating, Alicia was left to think about what she really wanted in life and about the different guys she had dated. Neville really was a good guy, but he just wasn't exciting enough for her. Thinking of excitement made her think of George and his stupid pranks and how much she missed him. With George there was never a lack of ideas or things to do or conversation. She wondered if she had been a bit hasty in deciding they needed a break. Things had just gotten so serious with him and she had gotten scared. Maybe she should give him another try. He would be at the club with the group on Saturday. That would be a good time to see if he was still perhaps interested.

Saturday came around and found a group of nearly twenty of the friends meeting up at _Pixies_ in Hogsmeade, including the Hogwarts scholars who were desperately in need of a break from their last desperate push before NEWTs. Everyone seemed more than a bit tense as everyone had been working hard and now seemed ready to put just as much effort into partying. The night soon found some interesting pairings. And, as much as many would refuse to admit it, the marriage law and finding suitable mates was in the back of everyone's minds. No one would turn down attractive offers, but the running dialogue of 'he/she would/wouldn't be a good match in category X' was still there and everyone universally hated it, even if no one spoke of it.

Still, even with underlying tensions, the night was great fun and the night soon saw the group dividing up. Ginny found herself surprisingly back in the arms of an old flame and found herself having a fantastic time with Dean. She was glad to see him coming alive again after the war and his devastating loss. She was a bit surprised to find that he still had an attraction to her since she knew he and Ritchie had been fairly regular whenever the young Gryffindor could get away from the castle. As she thought about the strapping young beater, she looked over and saw him dancing across the club. Maybe she should use the young Gryffindor to entertain herself at school rather than be tempted by other flirtations. Of course, NEWTs were the main thing that were taking up her attention at school. Her thoughts were then diverted back to the evening at hand when Dean began to grind against her and brought her attention back to himself.

Another Weasley was busy with thoughts directed toward a younger Hogwarts student as well. Ron had come to _Pixies_ with the crowd and no real intentions toward any young witch, but with hopes toward taking a pretty friend back to Grimmauld for a bit of fun. What he hadn't planned on was a young Kenmare fan who had followed his progress on the wireless in the first two games. Demelza Robins already had a bit of a crush on Ron from years earlier and his signing to her home Quidditch team had only increased her fascination with him. Unfortunately, she was only a sixth year and was thus limited on her forays outside the castle. Under the headmistress' new rules, her curfew brought her back a full two hours before the seventh and eighth year students, so she didn't waste any time pairing up to her target. Not that Ron minded, the obnoxious young fourth year that Ron remembered was long gone and Demelza had bloomed into a curvaceous witch with wavy auburn tresses and sparkling hazel eyes. As soon as she laid her claim, they were matched for the rest of the night until she had to flee back to the castle for curfew after an intense round of snogging and a promise that she would stay in touch.

Leaving _Pixies_ that night Fred found himself happily escorting Hermione back to Grimmauld and was a bit surprised when he tumbled out of the floo and fell over his best friend Lee, who was tangled around a very pretty Indian witch. Fred wasn't sure if it was Parvati or Padma, he wasn't great at telling them apart in the full light of day when he was sober. Lee just laughed at his clumsiness and the two quickly separated with their different witches.

Lee's arrival with Parvati was actually something he had been working on for a while. He had chatted her up on several prior occasions and had made his interest known, but she had always seemed a bit aloof. Now for the first time she returned his interest in a wholehearted way and the night had gone very well. They had danced on and off, but had also disappeared into a private booth and managed to talk a bit in between a bit of snogging. He had never dreamed that he would end up back in her room at Grimmauld, but he wasn't arguing as they stumbled up to the second floor. He was initially concerned that she might share her room, but was happy to find otherwise. As soon as the door closed, she had locking and privacy charms in place and he pulled her tightly to himself as he ran his hands down the incredible leather sheath dress that left nothing to the imagination. It looked like it was painted on and he wasn't sure how he was going to get it off, but in the meantime his hands were busy exploring, as were hers.

They took a while, but both eventually divested themselves of their various clothing, with Parvati's dress not being as difficult as it would have seemed. Once the zipper came undone, it peeled like a snake skin. Then Lee was left staring at her in nothing but a tiny thong and miles of gorgeous, bronzed skin that he wanted to kiss for forever. She glowed under the low light in the room and he was stunned by her beauty. His hesitance was brief though before he swept her to the bed and began his oral exploration of body. When he reached her thighs, she moaned encouragingly and he found she had soaked through the tiny scrap of fabric that was all the clothing that remained. With one swift movement, he divested her of the fragile thong and then dove down as he began to devour her and she cried out to gods and goddesses that he was unfamiliar with. He was aching terribly, but he held out as she came powerfully in his face. Looking up and watching her in the throes of ecstasy, he didn't think he had ever seen anything so beautiful.

As Parvati recovered, she pulled him up and then pushed him around as she was suddenly on level with him. Their mouths met and they lazily snogged for a bit before she pushed him back while looking down at him with a wicked half smile. Then she spread herself and mounted him in one slow and steady movement that caused his eyes to roll up as he reached for her hips and hissed in pleasure. She allowed herself to sink down on him completely before adjusting herself and letting out her own moans of delight as she found the angle that delighted her the most. Then she began a steady and insistent rhythm as she began to ride him. Every downward plunge brought a bit of a forward roll that included just the slightest squeeze of her muscles and Lee couldn't believe this goddess above him. Her breasts flew in perfect time with the rhythm and he thrust in time with her as he enjoyed the show completely. It wasn't long before he felt what might have been an oncoming train as his eyes began to roll back. His last conscious thought was that he wanted to meld his soul to this amazing creature as he pushed himself deeper into her, sat up, and grabbed her around the middle as his mouth claimed hers and he poured everything he had into her just as the shift of position caused a blinding mutual climax for the both of them and the charms on the room were fully tested.

The two lovers stayed wrapped together for countless minutes, completely stunned by their lovemaking. Neither had ever experienced anything quite like that and had actually felt and heard the fixtures in the room rattle as their magic joined their climaxing. It was unlike anything they could have imagined and neither was able to go for another round. They fell back on the bed and curled up together as both tried to comprehend what the hell had just happened. They had both been a bit drunk from the club, but both now felt completely sober, although a bit stunned. Lee looked at Parvati and saw she was crying. He had never had a women cry after sex and he was worried.

"Vati, gods, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I don't think, I don't know! That was so amazing, I think I'm just on an endorphin high. Look, neither of us are delusional, we know we weren't virgins, but that was beyond anything I could have imagined."

"I agree completely. I may not understand, but I don't care. I'm just going to enjoy it and hold the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my arms and fall asleep because now I'm knackered."

Parvati nodded and leaned up to kiss him. The kiss developed into a few more and gradually the slow kisses developed into lazy, sleepy kisses until slumber claimed them.

The next morning Lee woke first and just watched his goddess sleep for a few minutes until she gradually joined him. Once she was awake, she seemed a bit more settled than the night before and they soon began trading kisses before Lee rolled over and slipped into her with little foreplay. Their morning lovemaking was slow and lazy as he stroked her while they exchanged hundreds of small kisses. Parvati came first by a few moments, but once again tested the room's charms and then Lee followed her. It wasn't as devastating as the night before, but both were left grinning stupidly at each other after and decided to grab robes and head for the hall bath for a mutual shower.

Since it was Sunday, Lee had nothing planned so he stayed with Parvati all day and they went out to a local theater and then later went to dinner. It was all completely spur of the moment, but both just felt as if they wanted to spend as much time together as they could. When Lee showed up at the shop on Monday, he was especially happy and chipper, earning him plenty of ribbing from the guys, but he could have cared less.

While Parvati's weekend had been enjoyable, her sister was left once again bemoaning too much alcohol and poor judgment when she woke up on Sunday morning feeling like a lorry had hit her. Then she heard a rumble next to her that sounded much like a lorry and groaned as she rolled over to see red hair and suddenly remembered ending the night with Ron after his little Hogwarts date had left early. They had come back to the house together and instead of separating to their own rooms, they had ended up back in her room for a hard and fast shag that she only had a vague memory of. She really should set herself a limit on drinks. It was no fair that Parvati seemed to have inherited their father's capacity to drink with little consequence, while she was a relative lightweight even though she liked drinking quite a bit more.

Oh well, the night was over and she might as well deal with it. Rolling out of bed, she found a robe and went to fetch a couple of potions from the bath, figuring Ron could use one as well. He really wasn't that bad of a guy, certainly much improved from their time at Hogwarts, but she was looking for someone with a bit more polish. That being said, as she looked at his half naked form and she couldn't help but admire his recent training. A girl did have needs after all. Sighing, she left the room to find the potions.

When she returned, she woke Ron and he gratefully took the potion. Within a few minutes they were both acting more human and he cast a breath freshner on himself as he reached for her. Padma had a brief thought that she should stop him, but she had been ogling him as they talked and she decided what the hell as the two of them began snogging. Soon her robe was gone and he was on her as he began to devour her tits, which he was obviously a huge fan of. As he sat back to admire her, his cock stuck straight out and he was displayed in all his glory. He may be a bit rough around the edges, but he was quite nice to look at as Padma pulled him back to her. A minute later he was in her as they set a rapid mutual pace, each desperate for release. Ron beat her to the finish, but was quick to finger her as he finished filling her and she came with a final moan. He may not have been the best, but she felt much relieved.

After they cleaned up, Ron pulled on his pants, enough so that he could get back to his own room. He then gave her a quick kiss and a thanks. Both knew without saying more that they didn't have anything serious. Still, Padma wouldn't mind keeping him as an occasional shag buddy. As the door closed and she fell back on the bed, her mind drifted to the stupid marriage law. She really was fine with her life and where it was at, but soon she needed to get more serious than she wanted to be. With a groan she pulled the pillow over her head and tried to block out the world.

Over the next couple of weeks the friends at Hogwarts weren't heard from much. After the last bash at _Pixies_ , they remained at the castle cramming for their NEWT exams. Ginny was beside herself as she struggled especially with Transfiguration and Runes, wondering why she had taken the difficult elective all the way through to NEWT level. She knew it would be good for her future, but the rune alphabets used at NEWT level were beyond difficult. Thankfully she had a good study group, including Sue Li, Anthony Goldstein, and surprisingly, Daphne Greengrass. Their unusual three house study group had a wide range of strengths and had come to rely on each other as the year had progressed. Ginny had initially been wary of the Slytherin, but she and Daphne had become quite friendly as they studied for multiple subjects and realized how much they had in common.

Just how close Ginny and Daphne had become came to an unexpected denouement at the end of May when they were working on a set of ancient Sumerian runes that Daphne had completed translation of and was helping Ginny with in the back corner of the library late one night. Once Ginny finally finished, she leaned back and sighed with exhaustion as she flipped her hair back and reclined in the seat. Daphne was perched right next to her and couldn't help herself as months of feelings came bubbling to the surface and she reached out to gently sweep an errant strand of beautiful red hair out of Ginny's eyes. Her fingers paused on the side of Ginny's face and their eyes locked. The air was electric as both felt a connection that they had been denying. Seeing that Daphne was about to pull away, Ginny leaned forward boldly and lightly planted a kiss on the corner of her mouth. That was all the invitation that the blonde needed as she buried her fingers in Ginny's auburn locks and pulled her closer for a full kiss. When Ginny reciprocated eagerly, the one kiss turned into more and soon the two witches were snogging intently in their quiet corner of the library. Both felt the heat between them and knew that they needed to get themselves under control, reluctantly pulling back to catch their breath.

"Wow Gin, I've been tempted to do that for months."

"I don't know if I've been as tempted, but I'll admit to some strange feelings. And that was definitely amazing. Gods, you're so beautiful. What do we do about these feelings though?"

"I don't know. We've got way too much studying right now. I wouldn't mind a bit of stress relief if we have the time though. Have you ever been with another witch before?"

Ginny shook her head and then leaned in to kiss Daphne again. This may be all new, but she was enjoying the feelings. They didn't need to come to any agreements that night, she was willing to just go with it.

Ginny and Daphne continued with their elicit snogging sessions over the next couple of weeks, whenever they could find time for a bit of a break away from their other study partners. They also found a bit of time to talk at meals and made a point to divert the topic away from constant schoolwork, learning even more about each other.

As the middle of June approached, NEWTs loomed in only a few days and the castle was at a fever pitch. Ginny was almost to the point of declaring herself as prepared as she was likely to be. She didn't think her brain could absorb any more information and was about ready to crack. She knew Madam Pomfrey was having the sixth year potions class brew vats of calming draughts just for the fifth and seventh years to use. Still, Daphne thought she could manage a bit more Charms work so they met after everyone else left the library and found an empty classroom for some last revision work before the test the following day. The revision went well, but Daphne could tell that Ginny was about to lose it and soon set her book aside as she pulled Ginny willingly to her. Soon the two were snogging and Ginny moaned with frustration and need. As they continued, Daphne pulled back and put her hand to Ginny's face.

"Gin, can I help you? I know we haven't done much beyond a bit of petting, but I'd like to help you. I know you haven't had any other witches for lovers like I have. I can make you feel as good as a man can."

Ginny trembled at the thought. She really wasn't sure, but she needed something and was willing to try.

"Alright, but I want this to be mutual. You show me what to do and then I'll try to do the same. Gods, I need this."

Daphne smiled and leaned forward as she gently kissed Ginny before reaching to remove her jumper. Next came the tie and then Daphne began to slowly unbutton Ginny's shirt as the two witches continued to lazily snog. Ginny began to divest Daphne of her uniform as well and both were feeling impossibly hot as they were soon bare-chested before each other. Ginny was the more muscular of the two, but Daphne didn't seemed to mind as she trailed kisses down Ginny's neck and then to her breasts as the moans in the room increased and Daphne reached to drop Ginny's skirt before rolling down her tights, thinking once again that witches in Scotland needed way too many clothes in the winter. Soon Ginny was completely naked while Daphne sported only green, lacy knickers as the two lovers ground against each other, panting with need. Daphne's hand was pumping between Ginny's legs as she pushed first one and finally three fingers deep into Ginny while she ground herself on Ginny's thigh, desperate for her own release. With little warning Ginny suddenly came with a scream that was muted as Daphne claimed her mouth, gasping as her fingers were caught in her lover's grasp as Ginny convulsed and shook with her orgasm. Eventually she finally settled and smiled at Daphne, looking much more relaxed.

"Bloody, fucking hell, yes. Thank you Daph!"

"I told you it would be good. And that was only the beginning of what I can do."

"Now though, let's help you out…"

With that, Ginny began kissing her lover as she moved down to suckle one of Daphne's ample breasts before then ripping off her sodden knickers and starting to finger her. Daphne immediately demanded more penetration as Ginny quickly increased her penetration and worked her lover harder as Daphne begged and pleaded. When she finally came, Ginny was almost ready to go again just from watching her and Daphne pulled her tight as the two ground together while Daphne finished the throes of her orgasm and sent Ginny into a small second orgasm of her own. By the time both were done, they lay together on what had been their study table and just held each other. Ginny was shocked and satisfied by the sudden turn of events. She had been trying to figure out her attraction to Daphne for months and now they were lovers. It was amazing and just a bit confusing, but she was happy. Daphne seemed to realize her thoughts were elsewhere.

"Knut for them."

"Just recovering and trying to figure myself out. This is new for me. Not that I'm not happy."

"I understand. The first couple of times is that way. It takes a while to toss out our upbringing. We're raised pureblood. I was raised especially strict. Gods, if my family knew what I got up to, I'd be locked in my suite until I was thirty."

"Daph, can I ask, have you ever slept with a guy?"

"Gods yes. Only two though. They can be bloody annoying and finding a good one is a pain. Look Gin, I can go a bit both ways, but honestly witches fulfill me more than wizards. And the emotional aspect is so much better. I suppose though with this new law that we won't have much choice soon. I might push it by a year or two though."

"I understand. This has really surprised me. I like you a lot, but if Dean was here and wanted to shag me, I probably wouldn't say no. You don't know Dean that well, but he's one of the exceptions. Of course, he goes a bit both ways too. Hmm, maybe there's a theme. I guess what I'm saying is that I want to keep my options open, but I'm not going to be sleeping with every random person like some of our friends."

"Thanks, I appreciate that Gin. And if Dean is willing, I may be up for a threesome if that sounds interesting?"

Ginny groaned as images popped into her head and she knew that she needed to divert her thoughts. Standing up, she gave Daphne a hand up and they kissed for a minute before going to collect their clothes. They then realized it was well past curfew and both had to sneak back to their respective dorms.

Soon NEWTs came to an end and Ginny happily said goodbye to formal education. Although her mother tried to convince her otherwise, she moved straight back into Grimmauld and welcomed having her freedom back. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, but she took a couple of shifts at Wheezes and lived frugally while she figured out what she wanted.

One bonus to being back at Grimmauld for Ginny was seeing Dean again and their friendship was easily rekindled. Just three days after her return, she found herself staying in his room and enjoying a night of mind blowing sex as she remembered back to her first time when Dean had taken her virginity back during her fifth year. He had always been a consummate lover and they had a spark that never seemed to completely die. The problem was though that Dean was bi and had a regular lover, Ritchie Coote. Ginny and Ritchie knew about each other and, although they'd never talked about it, they had an unspoken agreement to allow Dean his occasional flings as he needed. Dean and Ritchie had started off casual during school breaks, but once he had left school at the same time Ginny did, it was obvious how serious he and Dean were. Ginny didn't mind since Daphne often stayed over with her. The rest of their house mates raised an occasional eyebrow, but Harry ran a very open household. As long as everyone was respected and minded their own business, everyone was allowed their space to do as they pleased.

It was early August when the two couples were out on their third double date in muggle London and Daphne decided that they all needed to talk and clear the air. There had been a bit of unspoken tension that she felt wasn't really needed. She stayed with Ginny several nights a week and knew that Ginny slept with Dean a couple of nights a week. When she and Dean were together, Ritchie was off at his cousin's or would even take over Ginny's room. Over the past couple of months she had gotten to know the young Gryffindor and liked his shy, quiet demeanor. He was also quite a bit smarter than many gave him credit for. On their previous double dates, she could even admit to having a bit of an attraction to him. If he wasn't her girlfriend's sometimes lover's boyfriend she might have been tempted. Now it was time to take a risk and see if she could cunningly see how the other's felt.

"Gods, it's good to get away from Grimmauld. I know you said that Harry fixed the place up, but I don't care how nice a house is, it can still become a prison if you stay too long. And it's nice to have good friends to get out with."

"I agree Daphne. I start feeling stifled in the house."

The other two nodded, but Ritchie was still looking a bit down and was sitting woodenly next to Daphne across from Dean.

"Alright Ritchie, what is wrong?"

Leave it to her Gryffindor girlfriend to just get right out and ask it.

"Nothing Ginny."

"Right. You act like Daphne's going to bite you. Or like you want her to bite you or something."

Ritchie had darker skin, but even that couldn't hide his blush and Ginny burst out laughing.

"Aha! I think I hit on the problem. Don't feel bad Ritchie, I understand the attraction."

"Damn, sorry Ginny."

"Look, I was going to try to be all Slytherin and do this a bit more carefully, but since Ginny has already charged forward, let's talk."

"About what Daph?"

"About the four of us. Obviously Ritchie just admitted that he has some attraction to me. If he keeps wandering from the bathroom to your room in just a towel, he's going to get himself jumped one of these mornings. A witch can only control herself so much. And Ginny's already sleeping with you Dean, but I happen to know she might be having certain threesome fantasies. We're already near monogamous or bigamous, which is better than many of our friends who line up and switch off to shag each other in rotation. I'd be willing to try some experimentation, but only if we're all in agreement. I think the four of us could make a good partnership. We all get along when we aren't dancing around our mutual attraction since we're all at least partly bi."

Ritchie was now red enough that he looked like a volcano about to explode, while Dean was grinning. Ginny had a sly smirk that told her girlfriend that she was in full agreement. Since Ritchie couldn't speak, Dean spoke up instead.

"Ritchie love, what do you say. Want to try trading off and shag some pretty witches?"

Ritchie groaned for a moment as he gripped the table and took a couple of deep breaths.

"If you all are sure, I'm willing to try. I've been having a damn hard time leaving Dean and Ginny alone, and Daphne, you know how gorgeous you are."

"Well then, that's decided. Shall we finish dinner and get out of here?"

Everyone nodded as the rest of dinner went quite quickly.


	6. Four Engagements and A Wedding

Chapter 6 – Four Engagements and A Wedding

As the summer began to wane, certain romances were in full blossom. Parvati and Lee had been together for just over three months and the fervor of their love hadn't waned at all. Their family and friends were perhaps a bit surprised given the fickle nature of their previous relationships, but even in the early weeks those close to them could see that something was different with their match. Both had talked about it extensively and weren't sure if it was magic, circumstances, or a combination of everything. They had been friendly before, but really more acquaintances in a large group of friends. In the intervening months they had spent countless hours getting to know each other. Even if it was just lazy Sunday mornings relaxing at Grimmauld, they were happy together. Both had met each other's families after only a few weeks and the meetings had gone well. Of course, Fred and George had to tease their good friend a bit, but Lee frankly didn't care.

It was one late night in early September after another marathon round of fantastic love making that a nearly taboo subject came up. Parvati was curled into Lee's side, running her fingers through the curly hair on his chest as he caught his breath and inhaled the light jasmine scent of his love. They had discussed the marriage law months before, but had agreed to set it aside and focus on themselves for a while. Now though Parvati hesitantly brought it back up.

"Lee, can we talk about the law? I know we said we wouldn't, but it's been months. Our friends are all on edge and I feel like I'm ignoring an elephant."

"Yes, I guess we should, and I know what you mean. Not that we have to worry, I'm halfblood."

"That's assuming we're in this for the long haul. I love you Lee, but I don't want some bloody law to push us."

"Vati love, I've told you how I feel. Law be damned, we're some of the lucky ones in this. I'll admit when we first got together that I considered it very briefly, but mainly I just considered that you were a beautiful, intelligent witch that I wanted to get to know better. The fact that our pairing makes the Ministry happy is grand, but the hell with them."

Parvati grinned and kissed him deeply, soon awakening his desire as her hand drifted down to caress him for a moment before she slid her body over and joined herself to him. As he looked up at her, Lee had a fleeting thought that he really did need to think about the long term. Then his focus switched to the present as he grasped her hips and began to meet her rhythm.

While Lee and Parvati were busy in one part of the house, down the hall Ginny and Daphne were enjoying similar endeavors with Dean. It was an unusual threesome, as usually Ginny paired with the two guys and Daphne preferred solo action, but everyone likes variety at times. Ritchie was away playing Quidditch in Ireland with his team, the Wimbourne Wasps. In the couple of months since the two couples had reached a mutual agreement, they had settled comfortably into their multiple relationship and had even begun to talk about getting a flat together instead of having Ginny and Dean living at Grimmauld with Daphne and Ritchie being such frequent visitors that they were virtual residents.

In Dean's room Ginny was quite happy with where she was at the moment as she was on all fours, gripping the sheets as Dean pounded into her while she tried to maintain her focus between her girlfriend's legs. Not that Daphne was minding, she was gripping Ginny's hair and calling her name as she enjoyed the rhythm that Dean was causing, with each thrust sending Ginny into her harder. Behind them, Dean was grunting as he grabbed Ginny's hips and worked her harder as she had begged for minutes earlier. It was Daphne who reached her peak first, convulsing hard and clamping around Ginny's head while she screamed her girlfriend's name. Dean looked over at her and groaned as he tried to hold himself back, willing for Ginny to come. Soon he had his wish as Daphne came down from her high and Ginny herself released and collapsed on top of Daphne. That was Dean's cue to then follow as he let loose with a final sigh and came heavily into Ginny.

As Dean rolled off to the side to catch his breath and Ginny cuddled with Daphne, Dean contemplated their unique dynamic. It was always Ginny with him. Daphne may be involved, but Ginny was always between them. She didn't mind watching them, in fact she quite enjoyed it, but she and Dean just weren't compatible that way. She and Ritchie definitely were, and Dean had even watched his boyfriend and Daphne a few times, but that wasn't as much his thing. Still, Ritchie enjoyed a bit of change and always came back to Dean horny as a bucket of toads, so he wasn't complaining. No, they definitely had formed four unique pairings. The two primary and the two secondary. The threesomes occasionally were fun, but the pairings even dominated within those. It was never really discussed, it just worked that way. Not that any of them minded, they were all happy. When they had started to switch up, they had talked a lot more, concerned that everyone was being cared for, but that had stopped months ago. They were all assured now. It worked, somehow it just worked.

As the three lovers recovered, Ginny rolled over and kissed Dean as she smiled at him and then yawned.

"Dean honey, Daph and I are going to find some robes and head back to my room. This bed may be fine for two, but we're a bit crowded. You alright by yourself?"

"Yeah, I need to sleep. I have to meet with Lady Hawkins early tomorrow about her commission. Anyway, Ritchie will be back in two days."

Ginny nodded and gave him a deep kiss. Then Daphne leaned over and gave him a sweet, although not as deep of a kiss and both of the women got up and cast cleaning charms before putting on house robes and leaving to go to Ginny's room.

Meanwhile, a week after his late night talk with his girlfriend, Lee was ready to take action on plans that had been stirring in his head for a while. Although it was September, Britain was experiencing a last wave of warm weather and he was determined to use it to its fullest. On Saturday he planned a picnic and refused to let his girlfriend worry about anything. Their destination was a local park where the late autumn flowers were still in bloom and the trees were just starting to tinge with color. The temperature was perfect with just long sleeve shirts needed and the sun shone perfectly as he and Parvati wandered until they found an ideal spot on a small hill looking down toward a pond where some ducks swam lazily. Lee spread a blanket and soon they were enjoying a perfect lunch consisting of a variety of meats, cheeses, bread, fruit, and wine. As they talked, both once again marveled at how easy it was to be together. They really should have gotten together much sooner since they had been part of the same group of friends for so long.

Once they'd worked their way through the food and packed away most of the debris, they laid back and kissed and talked for a good while longer before Lee knew it was time. He sat up briefly and dug into the picnic bag. Parvati assumed his appetite had returned, but was shocked when he turned around holding a small wooden jewelry box. Looking at her intently, Lee tried to remember the words he had practiced so many times. Failing, he just decided to speak from his heart.

"Vati my love, I know we haven't been together for long, but these last few months have been the best of my life. Some may say we should wait, but I know that it won't matter. I love you and I don't want to spend a day without you. Will you marry me?"

Parvati was overcome with every emotion. Yes, it was a bit soon, but she had no doubts as words failed her and she nodded emphatically. Grinning, Lee leaned forward and put the ring on her finger before then pulling her close and kissing her deeply. The kiss turned into more and soon they were snogging until they realized that they were in the middle of a public park and knew that they should desist. Reluctantly, they pulled back and just grinned at each other. Then they decided to head on back to Grimmauld and start telling all their friends, before making trips to visit their families.

When Lee and Parvati arrived at Grimmauld, they found Harry and Luna first and then began calling out to the rest of the house. Hermione came out of the library and then Ginny came from upstairs. Everyone else was out, including Padma. Soon their news was delivered and their friends were all enthusiastic for them. After celebrating for a few minutes, they decided to floo to Lee's parents to start notifying all of their family, hoping that Padma would return shortly so that they could tell her and then tell the Patils.

Over the next two days, word gradually filtered out that Lee and Parvati were the first of the wide circle of friends to make the plunge into engagement. And by the way they were talking, it didn't sound like they wanted to wait very long for the wedding. No one mentioned the Ministry law, but it was always hanging in the background. With both of them working for companies outside the Ministry, it wasn't as pressing, but it would still help, especially when they eventually decided on settling down into a permanent home.

A couple of days after the big news, Ritchie was back in England and back staying at Grimmauld with Dean. He technically had a bed in a team flat, but he didn't spend much time there. Initially it had been a cause of much ribbing, but the novelty had worn off. As he and Dean lay together in post-coital bliss they talked about everything and the subject of Lee and Parvati's big news came up. With the first of their friends making steps to settling down, Ritchie decided to broach a subject that he and his boyfriend had discussed in passing before.

"Dean my love, what do you think about us getting a flat? And maybe sharing with Gin and Daph? Or just us if you don't want that, but getting out of here, moving on."

"Yes, I've been thinking on that more. It really is time to grow up and give Harry his space. He's been great to let us stay, but it's been well over a year. We're all working and doing well enough to afford a place. As for Gin and Daphne, I'm all for it and I think they may be as well. You know I love you first, but I love Gin as well, although differently. And I've come to care for Daphne."

"I understand. It's interesting that you and Gin have more of a connection, while I favor Daph more. I'm just more at ease with her. You know I love you and if you wanted me to stop sleeping with Daph I would, but we've reached a comfortable agreement. I think a joint flat might be the next step."

"Well then, let's talk to them in the morning. We've established our mutual partnerships enough that I agree this is the logical progression."

When Dean and Ritchie took the ladies to brunch the next morning to discuss the flat idea, everyone was in agreement. Grimmauld was much better since Harry had extensively remodeled it, but they all felt they had outgrown it. A few days later when all their schedules meshed they began to view flats together. It took a week or so of looking, but they found a large two bedroom dual en-suite loft style flat that they all felt was perfect in a converted Victorian era building that was owned by a squib and housed magical and magic aware non-magicals. Once they signed the lease, they all began the process of starting to furnish the flat with essentials that could gradually be added to with additional items over time.

The second Saturday of October marked the day when Ginny and Dean officially moved out of Grimmauld. The move didn't take long as they were only moving their personal items, encompassing a few trunks at most. Dean's family was fine with the move, actually happy that he was taking a step toward independence. Molly meanwhile was still in denial that Ginny and Daphne were even dating and was quite upset that they were moving in together, let alone that they were sharing the flat with another 'unnatural' couple.

That Saturday night, the two couples hosted a flat warming party and invited all their friends to see the new place. The evening was great fun, with plenty of food and even more alcohol. The highlight of the evening was when Lee and Parvati announced that they had decided on a date and would be getting married on Christmas Eve. While everyone was thrilled for them, it did bring to mind the marriage law and added pressure to what was otherwise a fun filled evening.

With the first of their group of friends having set a date and others moving out, it was inevitable that the other more serious couples would start to look at their own relationships in a more serious light. It was on the eve of Halloween when Harry decided to take Luna out to an unusual Turkish restaurant that they had found a couple of months previous. Although he enjoyed the food and the music that was provided on Saturday nights, Harry had other plans in mind. He had also been very careful to make his plans for the 30th, avoiding doing anything but holing up at Grimmauld on the fateful night of Halloween.

It was after he and Luna had consumed all of the main courses and were both feeling quite stuffed, but had yet to indulge in the baklava and coffee that always ended the meal, that Harry decided it was time to move forward with his plan. He had very carefully paid the host to seat them at a private table well in the back of the restaurant and now he was glad for a bit of privacy as Harry stood up and pulled Luna from her seat. He knew it wasn't the traditional method for what he was about to do, but his Luna was anything but traditional. He then proceeded to try to put the words together for what he wanted to say.

"Luna…I love you…you know that of course…um…I want you to know that this last year has been amazing. I can't imagine…well…I can…and it's dreadful if I do imagine…but what I'm trying to say is that I really don't want to imagine you not being with me. Luna, will you…will you…marry me?"

Luna gave a half smile and leaned up to kiss him lightly.

"Of course Harry. I rather thought the wrackspurts were going to win for a minute there, but you defeated them quite well. I love you too."

Harry's face lit up as he finally remembered one other critical thing and pulled the ring out of his pocket. It was rubies and amethysts alternating on a swirled band in an unusual setting. As soon as Luna saw it, she began clapping with excitement. Harry was glad, he had thought when he saw it that it was perfect for her. Then he had selected it and had their birthstones used instead of diamonds. Her reaction was everything he had hoped as he slid the ring onto her petite finger. Then Luna was kissing him again and all was right in the world.

Once they separated, their host and the rest of the restaurant began applauding and Harry realized that they had an audience, as everyone seemed ready to celebrate with them. More wine soon arrived for toasting and the rest of the night was great fun. Eventually they managed to leave the restaurant and escape back to Grimmauld, where the news woke the house. Sometime in the early morning they finally got to Harry's room for their own private celebrations.

With two couples now engaged, others in the group of friends began to look more seriously at their relationships. The Ministry was actively promoting the marriage law and the Prophet had a wedding announcement section every Sunday that listed not just wedding details, but prominently displayed the rankings of each new couple. Also, Ministry job postings were starting to bear labels with 'preferred' rankings listed. Within the private sector it wasn't as bad, but there were whispers within Diagon Alley that the new licensing rules were going to be much easier when businesses could show that the majority of their employees followed the rankings as well. In total it was gradually getting harder to escape the inevitable.

One couple who were discussing these facts were George and Alicia, who had been together on and off for almost two years. Wheezes relied heavily on permits and licensing from various Ministry departments and George was the calmer half of the duo who usually plied his charms and spent hours working his way through the various red tape. In recent months he had been receiving more and less subtle hints about his relationship status. Finally, Claudette Buncombe, the director of the Potions Control Board pulled him aside in mid-October to have a frank discussion. She was an elderly woman well past eighty who had been widowed a few years earlier and had taken a shine to George, who was ginger like her late Malcolm.

"Georgie, we really must talk. How are you and your young lady doing?"

"Alicia is great Claudette. She's spending most of her time helping in the shop now that business is going so well."

"Good, good. Always good for a wife to interest herself in what her husband does. Now she is halfblood if I remember correctly?"

George refrained from letting his frustration show.

"Yes, that's correct. She's also brilliant at Runes and is an excellent chaser. There's more to us than our blood status."

Claudette frowned and shook her head as she obviously chose to ignore that comment.

"Well, a muggleborn would give you a higher ranking, but if you're set on the girl, a halfblood will do. You really must make up your mind soon. You know I like you Georgie, but there is only so much I will be able to help you with shortly."

"Claudette…"

"Georgie, I'm sorry, but this is the way it is. The new law is in place and the grace period is almost over. It really is for everyone's good. You're a handsome young man, successful. It's time you settle down. You come from a nice large family, it's time you build a family of your own. Now, that's all I'm going to say. You know what needs to be done and what problems you will have if you dawdle. Please Georgie."

George sighed and rubbed his face. He certainly had plans, but he hated to be pushed by others. He and Alicia would need to talk. He finished with the day's business and left the Ministry with much on his mind.

Later that evening, after dinner out at one of their favorite restaurants, George brought up the discussion at the Ministry. What he hadn't told Claudette, and what only Fred knew, was that he and Alicia had gotten engaged two weeks before. The ring was on commission, so until she had something to wear, Alicia wasn't telling her friends. The proposal had been a private moment in their shower after a fantastic night of love making. It hadn't been planned, but it had been perfect for them. The ring was due to be ready in a couple of days and then they planned on telling everyone. After that there would be the madness of the wedding, which George was dreading. Anyway, his initial concern was problems with the Ministry holding up licensing, which Wheezes needed for almost every new product. It was Alicia who came up with a shocking solution to everything.

"George, I love you and the ring will be ready later this week. Why don't we select some simple wedding bands to go with it and get married this next weekend? Something simple with just your family and my parents. Tell your mum that you have news and you want a family lunch, then we show up with an officiant and me in a dress. Do the ceremony, eat lunch, call it good. As long as our parents get to witness it, they shouldn't complain. If our friends want to celebrate, we can go out and do something later. You know I hate fancy parties."

George grinned and jumped up from the table as he went around and grabbed Alicia from her seat as he twirled her around and kissed her soundly. She laughed and shook her head at the scene they were making in the restaurant. Once he put her down, they took their seats and he was still grinning foolishly.

"I love you Alicia! It's a brilliant plan. I'll owl mum in the morning. We'll go to the Ministry and get the license and officiant. What do you need?"

"I'll find a nice dress. Something simple. Maybe some pretty flowers. Oh, tell your mum that we'll bring dessert and we'll pick up a cake. I'll tell my parents to plan on lunch on Saturday at the Burrow. Really, I don't know what is so complicated with weddings. People really fuss over them too much."

George just grinned as he squeezed Alicia's hand. She had her moments when she could be gorgeous and dolled up, but at the heart of the matter she was a simple, practical girl, and he loved her for it.

The next week was remarkably low key for George and Alicia. The Ministry was well tuned for wedding details and had the licensing and officiant lined up in little time, congratulating them on their category 2 pairing. Both set of parents were notified that there was an announcement and the lunch was set up, with a request that the garden tent be used at the Burrow with warming charms. Molly was beside herself, suspecting an engagement was in the works, which George had fully expected. Charlie was notified and asked to make arrangements to be in country, which he readily agreed to take care of. Alicia took one afternoon off to find her dress and stop at a florist, where she designed a simple bouquet that would be ready on the day. The following day she and George went at lunch and ordered a cake. By Wednesday all the arrangements were in place.

Saturday arrived and all of the Weasleys were at the Burrow early to help set up for the luncheon. George had asked everyone to be in place at eleven. Along with Bill and Fleur, Fred brought Hermione, and Ginny came with Daphne. Molly was still not happy about her daughter's partnership, but had calmed enough to allow her daughter to come to family gatherings again. After losing Percy during the war, she didn't want to lose another child. As for Ron and Charlie, they weren't attached to anyone in particular and both came solo. Alicia's parents arrived around a quarter to eleven and then everyone was waiting for George and Alicia.

The guests of honor timed their arrival so that they arrived almost precisely at the same time as the officiant from the Ministry at five minutes until the hour. Fred was dressed in modern cut blue robes, while Alicia wore an ivory lace dress that she had bought off the rack. Fred was also carrying a large cake box. As soon as everyone saw them it took about ten seconds before both mothers realized what was going on and came out shouting questions. George immediately took control of the situation.

"Mum, please calm down. The garden looks lovely as it always does with your fall mums. Now, Alicia and I wanted a simple wedding without a lot of fuss. We thought about eloping, but we knew neither of our families would be happy with that, so we did this instead. Now, we only have Mr. Monkson for a half hour, so can we please gather everyone and have our ceremony? Then we'd like to have a nice lunch. Also, can you please put the cake in the kitchen for now?"

Arthur seemed to regain his senses faster than his wife and reached to take the cake while also placing a hand on Molly's shoulder.

"Come on Molly, best we get things together for a ceremony. At least he didn't elope."

Molly glared, but eventually nodded and turned to start giving orders to her children while Alicia took her parents aside to talk for a moment. They also were not thrilled, but agreed that it was better than the alternative. Soon the chairs that were around the outside dining table had been moved to the garden to form two rows. Mr. Monkson stood at the end with George while everyone found seats. Alicia then took her father's arm and within ten minutes of arriving and the first outburst, she was walking toward Fred. The ceremony itself took a total of twelve minutes, with Bill happily taking pictures throughout. Once it was done, Mr. Monkson wished them well and left the family.

After the ceremony, Bill took a few more pictures and then all the chairs were moved back and the luncheon proceeded. It may not have been what the mothers would have wanted, but George and Alicia were both thrilled with how well the plan had gone. Lunch was quite good, as it always was at the Burrow, and the cake at the end was excellent. Once the cake was done, the newlyweds left for a three day getaway at a wizard resort in Tinworth.

With his twin now happily married, Fred was feeling a bit of pressure on himself to make a further commitment and decided it was time to commission a ring of his own. He and Hermione might have seemed an odd pairing, but they balanced each other out and he had come to rely on her greatly in the months that they had been dating. She was still living at Grimmauld, while he lived in the flat above the shop, but his time in the flat had lessened greatly as he became a regular visitor at Grimmauld as well.

The actual proposal was a bit difficult for Fred, mainly because of how smart his girlfriend was and the fact that she had already realized that he was up to something because of a few covert actions in the preceding weeks when he had gone on errands to the jewelry shop to check on the ring. With the help of his twin though he finally managed to arrange the perfect setup when he took Hermione to lunch one Saturday and then 'remembered' something that he had to do back at the shop.

As the two lovers strolled arm in arm back down Diagon Alley, the mood was perfect after the lovely lunch. What Hermione didn't realize was that George was waiting upstairs at the shop with a pair of omnioculars, watching for their approach. Once they reached the side of Gringotts, George went into action and triggered the button that would remove the wizard's top hat on the front of their store display. Normally there was a rabbit under the hat, but instead a sign popped up and unfurled to read: 'Hermione, Will You Marry Me?'. As Hermione looked at the sign and took in the meaning, Fred dropped to one knee in front of her and produced the ring. Suddenly she seemed to realize what was happening and took a second before she responded positively. Fred's face lit up as he slid the ring on her finger and then jumped up to embrace and kiss her heartily. Across the alley, George sat in a window and cheered loudly as he set off confetti cannons that showered shoppers who had begun to applaud the couple. Fred was thrilled that he had pulled it off and Hermione was still in a daze.

As December began, Lee and Parvati's wedding was due within the month and more weddings were not far off. The first of the group of friends had abided by the Ministry's ruling and still found love as well. It was an auspicious beginning to the flood of weddings and bindings that were soon to come.


	7. Christmas and New Year

**Sorry it's a bit short, but I divide as it seems logical...**

o-o-o-o-o

Chapter 7 – Christmas and New Year's

While George and Alicia were happy with a quick and quiet wedding, Lee and Parvati's wedding was due to be something else entirely and it was a miracle that it had managed to be put together in the time it had been. The first three weeks of December leading up to the Christmas Eve nuptials were madness, but finally the 23rd arrived and all the check lists were done except for the mandatory hen and stag parties.

For Lee, his party was being planned by the Weasley twins and started at the Leaky Cauldron. There the drinks started early in the evening, along with pub snacks. As soon as everyone was lubricated, Fred brought out a neon green box and declared that all losers at each round of darts had to select a random item from the box and wear it. Ron was the first to lose a round and wasn't initially worried when he pulled out what looked like a small pair of doll shoes. Then the shoes rapidly expanded to become a pair of full size red high heels. All the guys hooted and hollered until he put them on. If he was hoping that they wouldn't fit, he should have known his brothers' planning better as the shoes magically sized themselves. The groom was the next to lose and was soon wearing a pink tutu. By the time the rounds of darts were done, the group of rowdy wizards was dressed in a variety of women's fashions. They all sat down to eat a bit more and drink quite a bit more. Then the various guys tried to remove the women's clothing, but found that it was charmed with an eight hour time limit. So, when the party moved on to a club and they left to stumble out to the streets of London, they made quite a sight.

Meanwhile the ladies were enjoying a fantastic hen's night at a Parisian restaurant where Parvati was suitably embarrassed with a range of very personal gifts for her wedding night. After that the group all headed for _Spellbound_ for a night of drinking and dancing with just the ladies. It wasn't as crazy as the guys, but all the ladies had a great time. Most were all attached, even if their guys weren't with them and the friends all stuck together to ward off potential suitors throughout the night. Of course for Ginny and Daphne, they made it quite obvious that they were together.

One witch who had been through a number of brief relationships, but was not involved in anything permanent was Katie, who was more than happy to deflect guys from her friends by dancing with them instead. Then an old friend appeared and laughed at the quite sauced group of witches. Oliver was a partial owner in the club, so it wasn't unusual to see him there and all of the ladies greeted him boisterously. It was Katie though who was working her way down a bar full of shots and then grabbed their friend, wrapped herself around him, and dragged him to the dance floor. They remained occupied for most of the rest of the evening as the group of ladies cheered them on. By the end of the evening Oliver personally keyed the floo that saw to it that everyone got back to Grimmauld safely after their long night.

The next day saw the men and women waking up at their separate locations and all downing liberal doses of hangover potion as they prepared to floo to the Patil residence, a large mansion where the wedding was to be held. Amazingly, by ten in the morning all the ladies of the wedding party were in place to begin their preparations for the wedding at one.

The theme of the wedding was 'Winter Wonderland' and the main floor of the mansion had been completely converted with the ballroom being the main facility. The ceremony was held in the room first, then everyone was directed out to the large entry hall that had been opened to the adjacent parlors. As everyone mingled after the ceremony, the Patil house elves and magic saw to the quick transformation of the ballroom into the reception space. The entire space was dripping in crystals and silver with charmed ice snowflakes everywhere and the only color was an ice blue to accent the white and silver decorations. Everything sparkled, but Lee had eyes only for his bride as she came down the aisle in modern cut robes trimmed in white fur sprinkled in crystals. The rest of her snow white robes were covered in thousands of crystals in a pattern reminiscent of a snowflake. On her head was a glistening tiara. She looked like a queen and Lee was stunned silent at the sight of her.

The ceremony went smoothly and was done in relatively quick fashion. Then the wedding party exited to the cheers of the 200 plus guests and made their way to a side wing where a portrait studio had been set up. While the pictures were happening, the guests exited the ballroom and mingled. By the time the wedding party rejoined them, the ballroom was converted to a dining hall complete with dance floor. The next four hours were spent enjoying a lavish luncheon before the bride and groom caught a portkey to Paris for their holiday.

While all had gone incredibly well with Parvati and Lee's wedding, thanks in large part to the support of both their families, the holiday brought problems for some of their friends. Key among those was Ginny, who was still struggling with acceptance at home regarding her relationship with Daphne. Molly had for the first time taken a hard line on the holiday and stated that only married or engaged partners were welcome for the Christmas holiday at the Burrow. Daphne's family had never even met Ginny, patently refusing to even acknowledge that their daughter was bisexual, and Daphne hadn't been home in almost a year. Although Daphne and her sister were close, their parents were typical purebloods who thought that their children, especially daughters, should remain under parental control until they were married. Just the fact that Daphne had chosen to live outside the home as an adult woman was shocking to them. From that standpoint, Molly Weasley was not nearly as bad, but Ginny knew that her relationship with Daphne was a primary reason for the new rule at the Burrow and she didn't like it.

After much agonizing during the preceding weeks before Christmas about what to do about their respective families, the solution actually came from Dean's mother. After talking to his mother and stepfather, an invitation had been extended to any of Dean's 'friends' on Christmas. It would be a muggle Christmas, since Dean's birth father was the source of his magic, but at least everyone would be welcome. Grace Thomas had come to terms with her son's sexuality several years earlier and had met Ritchie a couple of times, so she was actually eager to meet the two witches she had heard so much about. With a warm welcome extended elsewhere, Ginny greatly upset her mother when she announced her plan to attend the family breakfast and present exchange at the Burrow, but then she would leave for later festivities at the Thomas home. It would be the first Christmas supper the Weasleys would celebrate without her. As for Daphne, she would also visit her parents and sister on Christmas morning for a brief celebration before leaving for a friendlier environment. Ritchie on the other hand made arrangements to leave the wedding on Christmas Eve and spend the night with his family before spending the next day with his love.

Christmas arrived and Ginny and Daphne woke and left each other with a kiss and a frustrated sigh, while the guys were left sitting at the kitchen table still in their pajamas, waiting for later festivities. Ginny arrived at the Burrow seconds later and was immediately immersed in the madness that was a Weasley family Christmas. It was great to have everyone together, although Percy was of course still missed. Underlying it all was the additional tension around Ginny's plans for the day. It was toward the end of breakfast that Molly finally had enough and decided to try one last time to change Ginny's mind.

"Ginevra, you really should reconsider this awful plan. Look at how good of a time you've been having. You should be with family at Christmas."

"Mum, I'm going to say this yet again. I love Daphne and care deeply for Dean and Ritchie. If you would accept my new family, we wouldn't have these conflicts. I am a bisexual woman, and Daphne is my primary partner. That's not changing anytime soon and neither are my choices."

"It's just so wrong! I don't even know how that works!"

"It works quite well mother. If it wasn't Christmas, I'd draw you some diagrams. Now, can we please finish breakfast?"

Molly looked at her daughter aghast, while her father sputtered and Fred and George tried to hold in their laughter. The tension was still balanced on a knife point, but the rest of breakfast continued.

Meanwhile, across the country, Daphne was engaged in her usual proper pure-blood Christmas morning with her family. A light breakfast was served by the house elves and everyone met in the breakfast room properly attired and ready to participate in a lively discussion on current events, with just a hint of personal affairs thrown in. Nothing too personal was discussed, that was always left for private conversations one on one or with just Daphne and both parents. Still, her mother gave her regular looks that were quite similar to what Ginny was receiving. After breakfast everyone adjourned to the family parlor for their gift exchange, which was done quietly and in order from youngest to oldest. Paper was always opened properly and never strewn about. Decorum had been instilled in both Greengrass sisters since a young age. It was all a bit stifling compared to the way that Daphne had seen Ginny tear into gifts. After several hours with her family, she insisted that she had other commitments and left with proper goodbyes to everyone. She went back to the flat to join the guys and Ginny joined them not long after.

Once the foursome was all together again they caught the floo to a pub that was close to Dean's childhood home. From there they caught a taxi due to the inclement weather and were soon being welcomed into the modest and warm middle class home that Dean had grown up in. Grace and Mike Thomas greeted them all, with Grace being quite effusive and happy to finally meet the ladies. The next couple of hours were spent sipping spiced cider while Grace bustled around her kitchen and talked to all her guests. Along with the four and Dean's parents, Dean's younger brother and sister, as well as an aunt and uncle were in attendance. Thankfully all knew about magic so it made the conversation easy.

Ginny and Daphne were careful throughout the day to not be affectionate with each other until they noticed Dean and Ritchie holding hands. When Ginny later went to refill drinks and casually hugged her love, she pulled back quickly and shuffled over to retrieve the cider. It was Grace though who put her fears to rest.

"Ginny dear, stop worrying so much. I can see how attached you all are. I may not understand the attraction completely, but you're in a committed relationship. It's only natural to be affectionate."

Ginny nodded and gave a quick thanks, but after that she and Daphne were much easier going with each other. They weren't going to snog in front of the group, but they no longer felt that they had to keep their distance.

Soon it was time for Christmas supper, which was elaborate and all quite delicious as everyone spent a good while stuffing themselves to bursting. Ginny even had to admit that much of it was as good as her own mum's cooking. After, everyone retreated to the living room for various card games. When the day finally drew to a close, all of the foursome were decidedly more relaxed than they had been at the outset.

After the festivities of the wedding and the stress of Christmas, New Year's fast approached and the group of friends was met with a surprise when Harry threw a New Year's Eve party at Grimmauld. The house was packed with both immediate and secondary friends. One of those in attendance was a friend of a few and an acquaintance of quite a few others at the party, Blaise Zabini. The Slytherin had never been friendly at school, but he hadn't been part of the junior Death Eaters either. The surprise came when he introduced his date when he arrived. A few knew her vaguely, but she had been a couple of years behind the main group in Hufflepuff. Blaise and the cute young brunette strolled into the party and he called the room to attention as Harry turned the music down briefly.

"Thanks Potter. I've got an announcement and it will be easier to tell everyone at once. I'd like to introduce you to my wife, this is Eleanor, formerly Branstone. We were married a couple of weeks ago in Gretna Green. As you can probably see, we're also happily expecting."

The room was silent for a few moments while the news sunk in, but then someone started applauding and soon it spread around the room as everyone celebrated the news. It was a double surprise, but given the bride's condition, it was obviously for the best. Hermione was pondering the announcement, especially since she knew Blaise more intimately than their friends could guess, even if they had only been a couple of one nighters a year or so before. She sidled over toward Susan, hoping a fellow Hufflepuff could help her with more information.

"Hi Susie. I can see you're a bit surprised. Do you know Eleanor? She's Hufflepuff if I remember."

"Yes. I know her a bit, but she's a couple of years behind us. She just graduated this last June. And she was one of the youngest in the house. I don't think she'll be eighteen until early in the new year. She is half-blood at least. The Branstones are an old family, but her mother was muggleborn. A bit of a scandal if I remember the rumors my aunt told me. At least Blaise lucked out there. I'm glad he was able to make things right and still keep the Ministry happy. I can't imagine either family was thrilled. Who would have thought, Blaise Zabini marrying at Gretna!"

Hermione shook her head in agreement with Susan. She had thought that Eleanor looked young. She couldn't imagine having a baby yet, let alone when she was two years younger. It was a good thing she was careful with the contraception draughts. She watched as the young couple moved through the crowd and continued to receive rounds of congratulations. Smiling, she moved over to join the group and give hers as well.

Within a couple of more hours of drinking and dancing the new year countdown began and everyone at Harry's party began to pair off as champagne was passed. When the new year was announced, toasts were held high and flutes were tossed back before kisses started around the room. In some cases spouses kissed each other, in other cases partners kissed each other, and in many cases good friends passed themselves around the room kissing everyone. The new year had begun and everyone knew a lot was in store for the diverse group of friends.


	8. New Zealand

Chapter 8 – New Zealand

The new year started off busy as usual at Wheezes, where the shop was left recovering from the madness of the holidays. Thankfully Alicia and Hermione were both on hand to help their partners, as well as the additional shop employees who all scrambled to restock the greatly depleted shelves. All of the efforts at the shop took a sudden turn at the start of the second week of the new year when surprising news came from the Ministry for Hermione.

It was a Wednesday evening at Grimmauld when unexpectedly the doorbell rang and Luna went to answer it, being closest in the living room. She was surprised to find Minister Shacklebolt at the door and immediately welcomed him in.

"Good evening Luna. I'm here to talk to Hermione. Is she home?"

"Yes Minister, she should be in the library working on some runes. We just finished dinner a short while ago. I can show you the way."

"No need, I know where it is."

Luna nodded and returned to where she was curled up in the living room with Harry as Kingsley thanked her and walked on down the hall and around the stairs to the back hall and to the library. When he arrived at the open door, he stopped and knocked on the door frame as he peered in at the young witch who was intently studying inside. It took a minute or so before Hermione finally looked up and became aware that a visitor had arrived.

"Oh, hello Kingsley. I didn't hear the door. The library is tucked away here in the back."

Kingsley nodded and stepped in the room.

"I understand. You looked quite intent. I have news for you about your parents. Maybe someone else should be with you? Is Fred around?"

"My parents! Yes, Fred is downstairs. Let me go get him."

Hermione left for a few minutes and returned with Fred, who had his arm wrapped around her. He greeted Kingsley and then sat down, pulling Hermione into his lap. Hermione then nodded to Kingsley to give her the news.

"Your parents have finally been located Hermione."

Hermione looked stunned as she began to tremble a bit. Then she stood up and began to pace a short path near the desk. Kingsley let the news settle before he gave her more details. Finally, she seemed to calm enough as she turned back and Fred took her hand.

"Al…alright...where?"

"They're in Christchurch, New Zealand. I know that we had alerted the New Zealand authorities, but there's a complication. It seems like the charms may not be fully effective anymore. We knew it was a possibility and we've been looking for Monica and Wendell Wilkins or Jean and Neil Granger. Well, we got stumped because we were never looking for Jean and Neil Wilkins, which are the names they're using now. That combined with the fact that they left Australia is what made it hard. They're working part time in a dental office in the north part of the city. Your dad works more hours, while your mom mainly fills in when needed. The rest of the time she seems to be working as an artist. She also works part time at a local gallery. They've been in Christchurch about eight months and seem well settled. Oh, the Kiwi Aurors who have them under surveillance mentioned that they spotted Crookshanks in a window at their flat as well."

"But…the names…the charm…it must have failed…or be failing…what if I damaged them…"

Fred stood and hugged Hermione tighter in an attempt to comfort her as Kingsley shook his head.

"I doubt that, they seem to be functioning fine. Extensive memory charms like you did always have the potential for long term failure. You need to decide what you want to do now. It's likely that they may have some other scattered memories and more may come back soon."

"Mia love, I'll support you in whatever you want to do. The shop has calmed down now and George can get more help. I'll go with you to New Zealand. I'd like to meet your parents, but this is up to you."

Hermione nodded and leaned into Fred more, glad for his support. If the charms were failing, it didn't sound like she had much choice.

"I need to think…but it sounds like I need to go and fix what I've done. Thank you Kingsley for all of your and the Ministry's help, and please thank the Aussies and Kiwis. Once I decide on what to do, how should I go about arranging travel?"

"Just owl my office with your travel dates. I'll setup the portkey and notify everyone at the other end. I'll warn you that your reputation extends over there as well. They will be more than happy to help you in any way you need. I know this will be stressful, but if I can suggest that you don't rush the trip. Fred, I know you have a business to run, but if you can allow a bit of time, I think it would be for the best. It's summer down there. Give yourselves time to relax a bit as well. This will be stressful."

"Understood Kingsley. Right now this is a priority over the shop. We're past the busy time anyway."

"But Fred...the new product line…"

"Can wait a few weeks, let's remember what's important love. You know George will agree and everyone else will step in and take shifts to help. Let's sleep on it though and you can decide when you want to do this."

Hermione nodded, agreeing with that logic. She was still in too much shock at the moment. They thanked Kingsley and he showed himself out while Hermione and Fred sat down to cuddle for a few minutes before going to deliver the news to the rest of their friends who were in residence.

After a day of processing the news, it was decided to leave in a week for New Zealand, giving George time to arrange for extra help. He and the rest of their friends were completely supportive though and Hermione was grateful for good friends and a loyal fiancé by her side.

The third week of January saw Hermione and Fred leaving Grimmauld place mid-morning on a Friday after all their friends had come to the house for a send-off breakfast before many had to leave for work. At the beginning of the year Hermione had moved into the flat over Wheezes with Fred, but both still found themselves spending frequent time at Grimmauld, where Hermione often used the library. It had in fact been rather lucky that Kingsley had found them there when he had visited, being unaware of the change in living situation. As for George and Lee who had once shared the flat, both had since moved out when they had married and were happy to let Fred and Hermione use the flat on their own.

After the send-off breakfast the couple went to the shop to work for a while and then made their way to the Ministry around two in the afternoon to pick up the portkey that Kingsley had arranged. The portkey would take them first to Mumbai for a stopover and then a second portkey would take them on to Christchurch. With the two hour stopover, and a thirteen hour time difference, they would arrive in the city shortly before five in the morning on Saturday. It would be a tiring trip, but much better than the long flight going the muggle way.

Long distance international portkeys were something completely new to both travelers and neither Fred nor Hermione were quite prepared for the fatigue they felt upon landing in Mumbai, but the Indian authorities were quite welcoming and Hermione's fame had even extended to that far continent. After thankfully accepting a welcome dish of chicken curry, the couple was shown to a lounge where they each managed to nap for about an hour before being shown back to the portkey zone to begin the second leg of their long journey.

The second portkey to Christchurch took only slightly less time than the previous and, combined with the first, left both Hermione and Fred very drained. When they arrived, an Auror and two Ministry officials were waiting to welcome them. In the lead was a stocky young man with sandy blonde hair and a beaming smile.

"Welcome to New Zealand! That's a might long bit of portkeying. I'm Norm Ferguson and you're more than welcome here Miss Granger. It's quite an honor. And yourself Mr. Weasley. We're really stoked to have you visit. I know you have personal business here, but I really hope you'll get a chance to see some of our country. We've made arrangements for a hotel for you, but if you need anything while you're here, just ask."

The exuberant young man had said all of his speech in nearly one breath and Hermione had to smile at him. He looked to only be a couple of years older than her and Fred.

"Well thank you. I do appreciate all the help finding my parents. Part of me wants to go to them right away, but I have to admit to being terribly exhausted."

"Of course! Probably hungry to. I've never portkeyed further than Sydney and even that was draining. I can't imagine coming in from London. By the way, I forget myself, I'm an assistant in the Minister's office, as is Noel Gregg right here and this is Auror Nathan Huckley. He's the one who has been working to investigate your parents."

"Hello to you all. And thank you Auror Huckley. I received the basic information from Minister Shacklebolt, but perhaps you have some more information for me?"

"I've got it all in this file for you Miss Granger. Once we located them, there wasn't much to know. No offense, but your parents aren't terribly exciting folk."

Hermione chuckled. She imagined that muggle dentists were rather boring to an Auror.

"Well then, I suppose you have other duties. I could probably just take the file and review it. I think I should rest for a bit since it is still so early here. One other question, any concerns as far as security?"

"We haven't seen any, but truthfully, you're going to be shadowed while you're in country. We can't risk a war hero and honestly it's good experience. We'll keep disillusioned and hopefully you'll never even know. Try not to think about it and just focus on your parents. If you notice a grey car following you, that will be us."

Hermione nodded, she didn't like the idea, but she understood.

"Alright, thank you. Mr. Ferguson, you mentioned a hotel. Would it be possible for us to go and rest a bit? Fred, does that sound alright?"

"Of course love. I'm fairly knackered myself."

"Sure thing Miss Granger. We're just out of the center of the city in an area called Richmond. The hotel is short walk, but we can apparate to an unused hallway if you prefer."

"No, a walk is fine. I could stand some fresh air. I know I'll read it in the file from Auror Huckley, but are my parents near here in the city?"

"Not far. They're in the northeast part of the city, in an area called Queenspark. It's a nice mixed use area, popular with families and small businesses. A bus can get you there in ten or fifteen minutes depending on the stops."

Auror Huckley excused himself while Norm took the lead and directed them out of the building as they walked down a quite clean city street. The early morning temperatures were pleasant and the air did help to invigorate Hermione a bit. After just over two blocks walk, they reached a nice, mid-grade hotel and Norm led them inside. He bypassed the desk though and led them straight to the lifts, which they took to the fourth floor. Once there, he produced a key card and showed them into a well appointed suite with separate living room and kitchenette.

"Here you go. We only provided the one room as Minister Shacklebolt requested, I hope that was alright?"

"Yes, that's fine. The suite is more than I expected actually. I have no idea what prices are here, or exchange rates. What does this run?"

"Mia, don't worry…"

"Yes, please don't worry Miss Granger, the hotel suite is courtesy of the Ministry. It's the least we can do for you. Now, I know that Auror Huckley gave you the personal details, but let me provide you some city details. Here is a city map, as well as a bus guide, some tour brochures, as well as some taxi companies. Being newblood I'm sure you'll have no problem navigating the city. We don't have much of a central magical area like London, but there is a small shopping district attached to the Ministry, which you know your way back to. Also, we have telephone numbers that route into us. Here is my direct line. If you need anything, just call."

"A telephone number! For a Ministry official? Instead of owls?"

"Of course. We have to shield them, but it's much more efficient, especially since we're vastly outnumbered in this country. We still use owls too, but its best to be flexible."

"Well Britain could take a lesson or two for sure. I would definitely like to talk more, but I'm too tired. Thank you for everything."

"Of course. Rest well. Also, there are several nearby restaurants that deliver to this hotel that are quite good if you wish."

With that, Norm shook their hands and exited the suite. Hermione let out a long sigh as Fred pulled her into a long embrace.

"Come on Mia. It's just after six. We have plenty of time for a kip and still have time after for whatever you want to do next."

Hermione nodded in agreement as she reluctantly pulled back and then kissed her betrothed. She then reached into her handbag and pulled out their trunks. Once the trunks were out, she expanded them and Fred set them up in the bedroom before pulling her in. It took no convincing as he led her to the bed and they were asleep just seconds after setting a tempus alarm for a few hours' time.

The tempus went off at eleven that morning and gradually Fred and Hermione woke with lazy kisses that soon turned into a full snog. Both were getting a bit heated, but knew they had other priorities and mutually pulled away from each other with a sigh.

"So Mia, I need some food, but then what do you want to do? Are we going straight to your parents?"

"Yes food and then my parents. I really can't stand waiting much longer. Now that I'm refreshed it will just be too hard. We may have to wait for them to get home, but we'll see."

Fred agreed and they both went to wash their faces and straighten up a bit before agreeing to leave the hotel and wander a bit to find lunch. They didn't have to go far before finding a nice cafe that served a variety of standard fare mixed with local cuisine. While they waited for the food, Hermione pulled out the file on her parents and began to read it. According to the information, her parents had arrived in the city the previous June under their current names after a flight from Melbourne. That was a bit of surprise since she had originally sent them to Sydney. They had lived in a hotel for a month, then traveled around South Island and up to North Island before returning to Christchurch and settling in Queenspark. It seemed from the information that they were quite settled now though and appeared happy. Their flat address, as well as the gallery and dental practice addresses, were all listed in the file and Hermione decided that since it was mid-day on a Saturday that they would start with the gallery. After consulting their map, they found that it was only a few blocks walk from the flat anyway. Soon their food arrived and she tucked the papers away and tucked into lunch instead.

After lunch they decided to call for a taxi and Fred suggested that they opt for a bit of a tour on the way to Queenspark. Hermione was anxious to get going, but conceded. She knew that Fred was right and that they needed to try to enjoy the trip a bit as well and an extra half hour really wouldn't make that much difference. The taxi driver was a happy older gentleman who was glad to show off his city and looped the main downtown area, giving them a good feel for the layout before taking them back over to the Queenspark area and dropping them off at the gallery.

Stepping into the small gallery, Hermione was prepared to see her mother, but instead only a middle aged man was manning the shop and he seemed rather distracted and barely noticed them as they browsed. Then they reached a side wall and she became excited when she noticed three paintings with a distinctive signature in a hand that she recognized, even if the name was different. The paintings were watercolors of different city scenes and were all signed Jean W., but Hermione knew it was her mother's work. The paintings were quite well done and Hermione glowed with pride to see that her mother had regained her early love of painting and had apparently not lost her gift either.

Once they finished looking around the gallery, Hermione and Fred wandered the neighborhood a bit and got a feel for where her parents had been living before continuing on to the address of their flat. Once they rounded the last corner, Hermione stopped in her tracks at the sight of the modest duplex. Out front, weeding a barely noticeable flowerbed, was her father. As she laid eyes on him for the first time in well over a year, she began to tremble with anxiety and Fred pulled her close.

"Mia?"

"That…that's dad. Weeding."

"What do you want to do?"

"We can't do this on the street. We have to wait for him to go inside. Let's step over by the side of that other house, near that alley."

Fred nodded and they went over to wait as they watched Mr. Granger finish his weeding. Thankfully there wasn't much to be done and he went inside about fifteen minutes later.

"Alright Mia, are you ready?"

"I suppose. I hope mum is here too. Let's go ahead like we discussed."

Hermione and Fred stepped up to the door and knocked. Neil Granger answered barely seconds later and Fred immediately hit him with a stunner, while Hermione levitated him. Both spells were done as they simultaneously stepped in the door, using Fred's large frame to block anyone from looking in. As soon as they were in, Hermione let her father down gently on some carpet and then she heard another familiar voice. Then her mother came around the corner, looking to see who had been at the door. Immediately she and Fred stunned and levitated Jean Granger as well. Then they took both Grangers and moved them into a nearby living room and set them on a couch. As Hermione looked at her stunned parents, she let a few tears fall and Fred's arms were immediately around her.

"It'll be alright Mia. We've gotten this far. Time for you to bring them back."

Just then Crookshanks appeared and began twining himself around Hermione's ankles, happy to see his mistress again.

"Crooks!"

Hermione let go of Fred and grabbed her cat as she cuddled him close for a minute. Fred looked on, a bit bemused, but happy for her. Then she put the feline down and focused on her parents.

Going to her father first, Hermione began a series of three complicated charms with wand movements so complex that they made Fred's eyes cross. He knew she was brilliant, but watching her work the memory charms on her parents was beyond anything he could have imagined. Once her father was finished, she moved on to her mother and repeated the process. She looked a bit tired at the end and turned to Fred.

"Let's wake them up together."

Fred nodded and he and Hermione simultaneously enervated the two Grangers, who came aware at the same time, looking around quite confused. It was Jean Granger who noticed her daughter seconds before her husband did.

"Hermione?"

"Hi mum, hi dad."

"My god, I feel strange, what happened? I have a lot of confused memories of different people. Who is Jean Wilkins? I think that's me? But that makes no sense. And I think we're in New Zealand? And I have memories of Australia and a Monica Wilkins?"

"I'm confused also. I seem to remember a Wendell Wilkins. Is it really January 1999? And who is this with you poppet?"

"Mum, dad, I have a lot to tell you. Yes, it is January of 1999. You've missed a lot, including a magical war that I had to save you from. Our world is in the process of rebuilding. I'll explain everything. First though, you know who the Weasleys are and my friend Ron, well this is one of Ron's brothers, Fred. We started dating a while back and we got engaged a few weeks ago."

"Engaged! You're too young!"

"Dad, please. Let me tell you everything. It will take some time. By the time I'm done my engagement will be the least of your worries. Please let me get it all out before you ask questions."

Neil Granger didn't look happy about that, but just nodded. Jean Granger looked quite worried as Hermione sighed and she and Fred sat down on a loveseat across from her parents. Hermione then began to talk, deciding to start back at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament with Voldemort's resurrection and working up through the war, including her choice to send them away to Australia and altering their lives. In the end it took her a bit over two hours to tell everything and she was nearly in Fred's lap as he wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to shield her from the increasingly angry glares coming from across the room. Finally she finished and the room grew quiet for long minutes. Surprisingly, it was Jean who spoke first.

"My God Hermione, what have you done to us! You've destroyed our lives. And you hid so much. I know we aren't part of your world, but we were your parents. I don't even know if we count as that anymore. When we were in Australia, everything was fine for a while. I have the memories now and they're making a bit more sense. The first couple of months in Sydney were fine. Then we started feeling lost and we thought it was the city, so we traveled down the coast and ended up in Melbourne. Still, Melbourne didn't feel right. Then one day I woke up and told my husband to stop calling me Monica, my name was Jean. A few days later out of the blue I called him Neil and he turned to me and said 'that's right, I'm Neil!'. From that point on we couldn't call each other Monica and Wendell, even though all our legal paperwork said that. You must have really worked your spells to get that paperwork done. Anyway, we obviously didn't remember the Granger part, but we knew our first names were wrong. We thought we had been in witness protection or something. It took a solicitor a while, but we legally had to have all the paperwork changed to make us Jean and Neil Wilkins, which we thought sounded right. We still felt lost though, so we decided Melbourne was too big and maybe Australia wasn't for us so we came to New Zealand. We came to Christchurch first and stayed a while, then we traveled to North Island, but Auckland wasn't right either. Eventually we settled back here. Honestly, we still felt something was off, but we like the smaller feel of Christchurch and it's been the best place for us since we've been traveling. Now I know why we've been feeling like this."

"I'm sorry that the charm did that mum, no one has ever heard of a charm partially failing like that. Your mixed names were part of the reason it took so long to find you. The Ministries have been looking for you since last May. Still, I can't apologize for you being alive and well. Hate me if you will, even if you never want to see me again, I did what had to be done. War often necessitates making hard choices."

"Damn Hermione Jean, don't lay that guilt shit on us! You should have come to us with the truth and let us make our own decisions two years ago! I was in the fucking military before university, I know about bloody difficult choices. Look, I've had enough. Can you go and let us think about this? Leave us your contact info, we'll let you know once Jean and I've talked about this more. We have to think about what to do with our lives and how to put it all back together now."

Hermione just nodded at her father's harsh words and grabbed the paper and pen her mother handed her, writing down their hotel information. Then she stood and let Fred wrap her in his arms as he disapparated them on the spot. They landed back in their hotel room and Fred immediately led her to the couch, where he sat down and then pulled her into his lap. He had expected tears, but worse was the fact that Hermione was instead in shock as she remained completely silent, just staring blankly as she barely acknowledged Fred's hand rubbing her back.

"It'll be alright Mia. They're alive and their memories are intact. You did everything you planned. The rest is up to them. They can't truly understand just how bad it could have been. Even if they don't come around, you know you saved their lives."

Hermione didn't acknowledge his words and Fred stopped speaking. Instead he just sat with her for the next hour until she eventually dozed off in his arms as the stress and limited sleep finally won out. He gently lifted her and carried her to bed, where he tucked her in. She didn't move again until early the next morning.

All throughout the following day they stayed at the hotel, but no call came from the Grangers. Hermione refused to leave the suite, wanting to stay by the telephone. Instead Fred made forays out for food, as well as picking up some tourist books on the history of the city that kept Hermione engaged. He meanwhile spent most of the day playing with the telly.

Two days after their arrival in New Zealand, Hermione and Fred were just finishing up breakfast in their room when the telephone finally rang. It was such a shock, that Hermione gave a small scream at first and then seemed scared to answer the phone. Finally she picked it up on the fifth ring. It was her parents calling of course and they wanted to meet that afternoon after her father's morning shift at the dental clinic, which she readily agreed to.

With plans arranged and no call to be waited on, Fred practically begged that they get out of the hotel room and Hermione agreed as they left the hotel and soon found a hop-on/hop-off tour bus. The concept was new to Fred, but he was thrilled with the idea and they were soon looping the main sights of the city and stopping to see some of the key attractions. Hermione really did love travel and Fred was finding that he enjoyed it as well, even if he hadn't had much opportunity to explore it when he was younger. Soon they had passed the entire morning and enjoyed a pleasant lunch before catching a taxi to Queenspark to meet with the Grangers.

The meeting with the Grangers was scheduled to be at a local park, a neutral location, and the Grangers were already waiting when Hermione and Fred arrived. They didn't look happy, but they at least didn't look quite as angry as they had a couple of days previously. This time it was Neil who took the lead in the conversation.

"Hello Hermione, Fred. First, I want to thank you for giving us a couple of days to think about everything. This has been the most difficult thing your mother and I have ever been through. And we thought finding out about magic and sending you to Hogwarts was difficult. Your mother and I aren't quite sure how we go about rebuilding our lives, but we don't think we belong here in Christchurch. We haven't felt quite right anywhere we've been. Christchurch was the best so far and truthfully we stayed because your mother has done so well with the gallery. I think we may need to do some exploring from this point on. Obviously you don't need us, or at least not much. I did some checking on the internet and house prices back home are quite good. We have no need for a four bedroom house for the two of us. You said the house is under property management?"

"Yes dad. I had it checked on by the Aurors after the war and there was some damage, but it's been repaired. We lost a bit of furniture, but I'd packed up anything important. I was last back to check on it about three months ago. The management hasn't been cheap, but I never planned on it taking so long to find you."

"Well, even with the cost of the property management, we will see a tidy return over what we paid for the place twenty-five years ago. You also said Dr. Davis has been managing the practice. Honestly, your mother prefers to pursue her painting more than dentistry now, so we are going to look at selling our two thirds of the dental practice. Between the house and the practice, we think we can travel for a couple of years if we are frugal. We may do some charity dental work as we travel as well, that would help for tax purposes. We need to sort ourselves out. If we're careful with our funds, we'll still have plenty to buy a small place wherever we end up deciding to put down roots when we are done traveling. We may end up back in England, but who knows."

"When is the wedding though? Are your father and I invited?"

"What? Of course you are mum. We hadn't set a date yet, but I was thinking springtime. I was going to talk about it with Fred after the holidays, but the shop was so busy and then we found you. Fred?"

"Spring, sure, whatever you want Mia."

"Well, a spring wedding sounds lovely. We'll take a while to sell everything in England anyway, but I would like to be at the wedding."

"We do need a bit more time before we're ready to really talk more. Maybe when we come back to England in a few weeks Hermione. Will you be going back soon? What about Crookshanks? We don't mind keeping him, but we can't travel with him and it was obvious when he saw you that he missed you."

"I understand that you need space dad. We should go home and let you do what you need. I'll take Crookshanks back with me. Alright Fred, you don't mind him in the flat?"

"Mia, he's your cat, I knew about him when we got together, of course its fine. I like animals. Maybe we can get a dog when we get a house. Harry said Crookshanks likes dogs."

"Alright, that's an entirely other discussion. I guess we'll go back to the Ministry this afternoon and arrange our portkey. Once we know our travel time, we'll call you about Crookshanks."

Neil nodded and Jean agreed. Both still looked sad as the two couples parted. A tiny bit of healing was happening, but there was still a chasm to be crossed.

Two days later Hermione and Fred had everything arranged and were greeted back at the Ministry by Norm. They looked much the same as they had five days previously, except that they were now carrying a large cat crate. They had accomplished what they came to do, but Hermione's heart still pained over the separation with her parents. Still, she had some hope.

Norm was as effusive as ever with his greeting as he handed them their portkey and made a point to peer into the carrier at a highly unamused Crookshanks as he wished them well. Minutes later the portkey activated and they began the long journey back to England.

o-o-o-o-o

 **Australia is way overdone, so I decided to take the Grangers to a slightly different locale. I've done NZ once before in _A Rainbow Dream_ (shameless plug), but thought it was a good opportunity to do something different again. Hope you enjoyed this break from all the weddings, engagements, and such.**


	9. Safaris and Surprises

Chapter 9 – Safaris and Surprises

While the new year was going well for some with Hermione and Fred's return from overseas, others were having a harder time. Susan in particular was not happy with her job working as a sales witch at an apothecary in Diagon Alley. She had tried to apply for a position at the Ministry, but had been rejected when she had answered in the negative when questioned about her relationship status. Even her boss at the apothecary had started to hint that he needed employees who fell into one of the new categories and it was obvious that she wasn't going to be able to ignore the law any longer.

It was a typical Wednesday at her job when Susan decided to take the proverbial dragon by the tail when a friend came in shortly before lunch time. Anthony had graduated with a high NEWT in Potions and was working as an apprentice to a Potions master. He was sent to pick up a number of supplies and Susan decided to chat him up and ask him to lunch. She and Tony got along well enough, even if she always had thought he was a bit too smart for her. And he was certainly cute. He seemed happy to accept and they had a pleasant lunch. Even more shocking was when he asked her out to dinner the next Friday night, which she gladly accepted.

While things were progressing with the law back in England, Harry and Luna remained happy with their engagement status and enjoyed their various travels with Harry's businesses that they often mixed with pleasure. The new year was typically cold so they jumped at the chance to head south and warm up when a small greenhouse business of his in Cape Town needed some attention.

The portkey required two stages, with a stop in Cairo, before depositing them in Cape Town. As usual, Harry arranged quite nice hotels and Luna was happy to drift about town, talking to the locals about their folklore while Harry attended to his business, which only took a couple of days. After that they both enjoyed hiking the nearby mountains and exploring the local flora and fauna, while enjoying the reverse seasons that the southern climate offered.

After a bit over a week in Cape Town, Harry and Luna had nothing pressing back in London so they decided to take a scenic train to Johannesburg as part of the next stage of their adventure. Of course Harry booked them first class, which afforded them a private cabin and excellent food and wine the whole way. The ride took about two days and did indeed showcase the diversity of landscapes that South Africa had to offer.

Once they were in Johannesburg, there was no business so the young, albeit slightly odd couple, was left to explore the city without reserve. After a few days though Luna had her fill of the city and was ready for animals, which there were plenty of at the local Kruger National Park, so Harry happily booked a safari trip that included a stay in a fantastic lodge on the edge of the park that came with full amenities. One thing he had learned was that he liked to be pampered a bit. He didn't need to be ostentatious, but he had money and he had decided to enjoy it a bit.

The lodge was on the west side of the park with private bungalows, each with its own small dipping pool. The day that they arrived it was already afternoon when they checked in and they decided to enjoy the lodge before going on safari the next day. As Luna lay back in the pool, she leaned into Harry and sighed.

"This is just about perfect. Once the sun sets it will be perfect. Maybe we can come back here and get married."

"Whatever you want Luna. Whenever."

"I don't really care when. I just want to be married to you."

"Hmm, well, we could do it while we're here then. Just us. We can have a party with our friends when we get back."

"Really Harry, do you think we could? Would they let us?"

"I'll see what I can do my lovely Luna."

Harry then kissed her soundly before letting his hands drift to the skimpy ties that held her bikini top on. Soon he had the scrap of fabric floating on the water as he dipped his head lower to kiss her small, but perky breasts. A couple of minutes later he lost the second scrap of fabric on her lower half while Luna similarly lost Harry's trunks. Their dipping pool might not have been very large but it was the perfect size for the activities they had in mind as he floated over top of his love and slowly glided into her heat. The water called for slow, supple lovemaking as the two lovers drew their pleasure out for long minutes before climaxing together, drowning out each other's cries with their mouths as they came together just as the sun began to dip toward the horizon.

Later on that evening Harry and Luna decided to make a foray from their bungalow to visit the resort's restaurant. On the way Harry stopped at the concierge while letting Luna go on ahead. When he set down a generous stack of local rand, the man begin to setup all the details quite quickly for a sunset ceremony the next day, assuring him that all would be handled. Harry was a bit delayed, but he eventually found Luna holding a table when he finally made his way to the restaurant. She looked at him a bit curiously.

"That was a bit of long trip to the loo. Did the humdingers catch you?"

"Not quite my love. I stopped at the concierge. We're all set for a sunset wedding ceremony tomorrow."

"Really!"

Luna excitedly jumped out of her seat and landed in Harry's lap as she kissed him, bringing amused looks from other diners. Harry just laughed, glad to see his love happy. After a couple more quick pecks, she returned to her seat, although she would show her appreciation again later that night after their wonderful dinner.

The next day saw the young couple enjoying an all day safari into the park with a wide range of animal sightings, including lions, hippos, elephants, and giraffes in abundance. Harry was immensely glad that he had purchased a telephoto lens for his muggle camera when he was in Johannesburg, in anticipation of the safari. Luna meanwhile had her magical camera that just looked like a very old fashioned muggle camera. It got a bit of attention, but after the first stares everyone ignored it as the day went along.

The safari returned them back to their hotel lodge in the late afternoon with plenty of time to clean up before the sunset ceremony. When they arrived back, they checked in with the concierge and finalized a few details. There were some papers to be signed and the kitchen staff needed to confirm selections for dinner, but everything else was arranged.

The plan was to have the ceremony performed by a local shaman who was authorized by the local government. The ceremony was to be held in the central courtyard by the fountain with the hotel flamingos. The hotel would provide Luna with a bouquet of local exotic flowers to hold. After the ceremony would be a private dinner on a terrace overlooking the reserve, complete with dinner and a special cake prepared by the local restaurant. With everything set, all Harry and Luna had to do was adjourn to their room for showers and to change.

For the ceremony Luna chose a pale yellow sundress in a chiffon like fabric with a light peach floral detail around the bodice and hem that skimmed the top of her knees. Meanwhile Harry complimented her with khaki slacks and a pale peach silk shirt. Together they looked like the picture of young couple on a summer vacation. When Luna saw the exotic bouquet that had been prepared for her, it was perfect for the quirky young bride and amazingly complimented her colors beautifully.

The ceremony was simple with traditional vows, but was quite heartfelt. The courtyard had an overlook viewpoint of the reserve with the setting sun and was quite stunning. Combined with the plantings, fountains, and flamingos it was a memorable setting. The hotel arranged for a photographer as well and Harry once again marveled at just what money could buy. A number of hotel guests filtered in and stopped to witness the brief ceremony, adding welcome applause as it finished and Harry kissed his bride. Once it was done, they were escorted to their private dining terrace for a sumptuous meal, complete with cake. As they finished eating, Harry took his bride by the hand and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Well Mrs. Potter, shall we adjourn this celebration to more private quarters?"

Luna didn't respond, but she rose and smiled at him as she stepped closer and kissed him deeply in response. Harry tossed his napkin aside and led her away. He thanked the staff as they went and before long they reached their bungalow, just barely managing to keep themselves under control. The minute they were in the door, they started fumbling at each other's clothing. Harry couldn't get the dress off Luna fast enough. She looked so gorgeous under the moonlight, truly living up to her name.

"Harry love, I really like this dress, can we try to save it…"

Harry took a deep breath and took control of himself as he calmed down and carefully helped Luna out of the dress. It really didn't take that long and then she was displayed before him in a beautiful set of pale pink bra and matching knickers.

"Gods, you're exquisite."

"And I'm all yours, forever and officially."

Harry groaned, the thought sent delightful shivers straight to his core as he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. He reached around to undo the bra as Luna started on the buttons of his shirt. They spent long minutes slowing down and undressing each other as lips devoured every inch of glorious skin as it was revealed. When both were finally bared to each other, they whispered their love as Harry led his bride to the bed and laid her down on it. He then slowly drove himself into her as she let out a long moan that would be the first of the long and amazing night that they would welcome together as Mr. and Mrs. Potter.

While Harry and Luna enjoyed another few days as a honeymoon on safari in South Africa, the rest of their friends were suffering through the cold English winter back home when tragedy struck one of them. Neville was working in greenhouse fifteen helping out a group of interns when one intern mistakenly swung a tray of immature adacanthus shoots near the mugwump plants. Spotting the issue immediately, Neville dove to knock the young man and the tray out of harm's way, but not before the mugwump reached out and struck. Thankfully the intern was missed, but Neville wasn't so lucky, with the long, sticky branch of the mugwump landing on his back and the acid almost immediately eating through his robes. Other specialists nearby immediately initiated emergency procedures and disengaged the plant while dousing Neville in emergency solutions, but the damage was done in the short thirty seconds or so that the mugwump had come in contact with his bare flesh. Normally the plant was only handled for limited contact with dragonhide gloves. The scent of the fresh adacanthus shoots to feed on had enticed the plant and really stirred it up when it hit Neville.

Once the emergency procedures were enacted and the immediate danger was past, Neville was evacuated to St. Mungo's and Tracey was the first notified, followed by a call to Longbottom Manor. Tracey had been working in another greenhouse, but word of the incident had spread quickly and she was justifiably worried as she followed her boyfriend to the hospital. She well understood the toxicity of the mugwump. By the time she reached Neville's side, he was delirious and barely able to recognize her. The healers at the hospital immediately started to treat the superficial burns as well as the blood toxicity caused by the sap of the very potent plant. Neville passed out not long after being admitted and Tracey went to notify all of their friends.

By the time Harry and Luna returned from South Africa Neville had been in the hospital for five days and had been out of the critical care unit for a day. The burns were largely healed, but his blood levels were still recovering. The newlyweds had expected to come home and deal with announcing their news when in fact they had the more pressing news of their critically ill friend to deal with.

Throughout Neville's stay at the hospital, Tracey stayed by his side and the nursery remained supportive in allowing her time to do so. They actually had some culpability in allowing an intern to handle the fragile adacanthus shoots and were fully reviewing all their procedures. Neville, true to his nature, was not willing to place blame and knew that the young man felt horrible. Certainly everyone had learned vital lessons. Still, Tracey was glad to not have to worry about her job and be able to stay where she wanted to be by Neville's side. In the short months that they had been together she had come to rely on his calm, quiet strength and coming close to losing him had scared her greatly.

While Neville was recovering, Harry and Luna were also preparing to make their announcement to all their friends and took care of one more additional step that they hadn't had in place when they hastily planned their nuptials. They made a trip one afternoon to a jeweler in Diagon and purchased simple wedding bands with carved runes of protection, fertility, and health entwined in them. Their plan was to find a time to tell all their friends together about their news and display the bands at that time.

After eight days in the hospital Neville was released home to Grimmauld. Although he was still on restrictions, he wanted a chance to get together with all his friends who had floated through to visit him at different times, and the day after his release everyone was to get together for dinner at the Leaky. Harry and Luna had confided their news to Neville and Tracey and Neville agreed that the dinner was a great time to tell everyone. Harry thought the timing couldn't be better since the dinner was Friday night and Molly was having a Sunday supper at the Burrow and he knew he would need to tell the Weasleys then.

Friday arrived and saw the Leaky Cauldron flooded with the large and boisterous group of friends who all made their way to the back room. Drinks were already in place as everyone welcomed Neville back into the fold, careful to not backslap him as they knew he was still healing. Once everyone was in place, Harry couldn't contain himself any longer as he pulled Luna to his side and tried to call the room to order, but without much success. Then Luna used her fingers to produce an ear-piercing whistle that finally broke through the madness and everyone eventually settled.

"Alright, thanks everyone! As you know, Luna and I returned recently from South Africa. The country is truly beautiful. The animals are magnificent and the sunsets can't be beat. We were so captured by the sunsets that we decided it was the perfect setting for our wedding. We're now officially Mr. and Mrs. Potter!"

The room was silent for a split second and then it was like a wave as the noise began in one spot and then echoed to another and another until the noise descended throughout the room.

"I can't believe you didn't invite us!"

"All by yourselves."

"Just like that!"

"Well I guess we need to celebrate now."

"That's the idea Dean. We're here to celebrate Neville's recovery and also our marriage. You all know the party is what you all really show up for anyway."

"He has a point."

"True."

"A toast!"

And with that the party was on its way to a spectacular, rowdy and fun evening.

o-o-o-o-o

 **Hi everyone. I know its been a while and its not the longest. I've been having a really hard time writing lately. I'm trying to make this interesting and different but the muse is really gone. Best to get something decent than nothing. I'm not giving up, its just hard.**


	10. The Foursome

**I'm back with a new installment. I know this has been on hiatus for a while. The muse has been very fickle for writing overall. I'm leaving the hiatus status because I honestly don't know how long I'll be going between postings. Never fear, I will continue.**

o-o-o-o-o

Chapter 10 – The Foursome

It was about a month since Neville's near miss with the mugwump and everything had settled down for the extended group of friends. Ginny was helping out at Wheezes while Fred and George worked on their latest project. A new storefront had become available on High Street in Hogsmeade and they had bought it immediately. The place needed major remodeling, but it was destined to be the next branch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It was the second week of February when both brothers returned from a meeting with the solicitor and called an impromptu meeting shortly before lunch, closing the shop for an hour and calling all their employees together. Included in the group were Ginny, Lee, Alicia, Hermione, Verity, and the newest hire, an older wizard named Dan. Fred led off the meeting, with George interjecting in the twins' usual dialogue style.

"Alright everyone, its official! We're the proud owners of number 17 High Street, Hogsmeade."

"Now the real work begins."

"Of course, we know there was plenty of work before, which is why we just hired Dan."

"That being said, we want to keep our focus on the main store."

"Which means we need someone we can trust with the new store."

"Which needs a lot of work."

"A LOT."

"Here at this store, there are two of us working together and we think that formula will work well at the new store also."

"At least to get it moving."

"So, Lee, Ginny, think you can work together on the task?"

"Gin, it will mean going full time."

Ginny looked a bit stunned, but slowly nodded as she formed a reply. She had been part time, basically because it was easy and she didn't need full time money splitting a flat four ways. Full time work would mean more in savings.

"Sure guys, that sounds brilliant. Lee?"

"Sure, sounds like a challenge."

"Alright, its set then. I'll go with you to take a look around tomorrow and start to discuss the vision. The hope is to be open by summer, and give the place a chance to establish itself before school starts."

With that, the meeting drew to a close and everyone left to go to lunch together at a nearby sandwich shop. Ginny and Lee were both excited at the prospects and it also answered Ginny's growing concern about how much work there really was going to be for her since her workload had dwindled recently.

Over the next couple of weeks Ginny and Lee relocated themselves to Hogsmeade and began the complex process of cleaning out the old store and designing the new displays. The design was going to be similar to the flagship store, but also planned to have its own flavor. The goal was to make each store distinctive in its own right.

At the end of February, Ginny was working late at the store and had the wireless on listening to the Wimbourne-Portree game that Ritchie was playing in. Dean was attending, as he often did, but she and Daphne only made it to occasional games. Still, they always tried to find time to at least listen to part of each match and keep up with how Ritchie was doing. He was one of the better beaters in the league and was gradually making a name for himself. The match was going long as it went into its third hour and Ginny was getting ready to close up the store for the night when the lackluster game suddenly changed as the announcer grew excited.

"And Higgs knocks a bludger towards Boor, but misses and nearly strikes Coote. And Coote takes the bludger and knocks it back at Higgs. Ooh, Coote looks mad. It looks like we have a beater war folks…"

Ginny paused in her locking up and decided to stay and listen for a few minutes. There was some other play, interlaced with the bludger being knocked to interfere with two scoring runs. It was fairly typical, but then Ritchie got the bludger once again.

"…and Coote has the bludger and ooh he nearly polished Higgs that time. Higgs is steaming and chases after the loose bludger and it looks like now Pearl is helping Higgs. We have a two on one beater battle. The second bludger is in the possession of Smythe, who can't do much to help Coote without leaving a loose bludger in play. And Pearl knocks the bludger at Coote and Coote does a beautiful barrel roll. Nice sa..no wait. The bludger clipped Coote's broom and he's out of control and in a tail dive. And he's down. It wasn't high, but that was a nasty crash. And now it looks like Higgs and Pearl are going after Smythe and we have a time out! The medics are on the pitch…"

Ginny stood, stunned as she waited for the announcer to give word about what Ritchie's status was. At least he hadn't been hit by the bludger. Still, tail dives were nasty, completely disorienting and sending a rider out of control straight to the pitch below. After a few minutes, the announcer finally stopped with mindless prattle and came back with an update.

"…and play resumes. Coote has been taken away by medics. Vinson is coming in for him and I'd place odds he'll be in for the rest of the game."

Ginny shut off the wireless and decided to apparate back to flat right away and check in with Daphne. Since it was already past six, her girlfriend would have been home for a while. They could wait for word from Dean together.

Back at the flat, Ginny was correct in her assumption when she found her anxious girlfriend waiting by the wireless, listening to the end of the game. Daphne had been home for well over an hour from her new job at the Ministry and had heard everything. She hugged Ginny tight and they sat down to wait without saying a word. About twenty minutes later, Dean apparated in and both women jumped from their seats as he started speaking right away.

"Hi Gin, Daph. I'm just stopping on the way to Mungo's. I figured you were listening to the game. Ritchie is beaten up, but will be okay. Come along with me if you want."

"Dumb question Dean, let's go."

The threesome made a quick exit and apparated to the hospital. Dean was listed as Ritchie's next of kin, but the two women weren't allowed in to see him right away. Just being nearby helped though as they waited over the next several hours and a healer came and delivered a final verdict of all of Ritchie's injuries. He had fallen from about thirty feet and landed on his left side, fracturing seven bones on that side of his body and bruising a lung. Finally, once he was stable, the healers relented and allowed the ladies and other family back to briefly see Ritchie. He was heavily dosed on skele-gro and pain potions so they didn't stay long, but it was reassuring to see him.

After visiting with Ritchie and Dean, Daphne and Ginny returned to the flat and tried to get some rest for a brief while. Then they gathered a few essentials, including some clothes and food for Dean and made their way back to the hospital the next morning. Although the plan had been for both to return to work, after a sleepless night away from the hospital, neither wanted to be parted from the guys and both women took a few days off of work to stay with their significant others. The three worked in shifts with different members taking turns to briefly return to the flat for quick showers and rest in between changing shifts by Ritchie's bed. Dean may have been his primary partner, but in the days at the hospital it soon became apparent just how bonded all of the four were. Daphne especially was surprised at just how traumatized she found herself by her lover's injuries. After a miraculous four days in the hospital with round the clock care, Ritchie was allowed to return home with strict orders to take things easy for a week and no Quidditch for a month. Magical medicine truly was amazing.

With Ritchie back home where he belonged, life returned to normal for the two couples. Ginny was back preparing for the opening of the Hogsmeade store with Lee. For Daphne she was back at her internship with the Department for International Magical Cooperation, working as a translator in French. It was the only position that was open to a non-numbered candidate and her bilingual skills came in handy for the first time since her family's frequent summer trips to France. She had been in the position for three months and enjoyed the diversity of people that she got to meet.

As for Dean and Ritchie, they enjoyed some time together while Ritchie recuperated since Dean's job was flexible. He had one portrait commission, but he had managed to reschedule that. He also had a couple of paintings he was working on, but he still puttered away at those in the off hours while his lover rested.

It was a full three weeks after Ritchie's injury before he finally returned to an observation role with his team and Dean returned to his portrait commission. After work each day all of the four returned to the flat and a comfortable domesticity that the couples had settled into.

While everyone was careful with Ritchie following his injuries, he soon let his partners know within a couple of weeks that he was ready for intimacy again and he and Dean made love gently within a couple of weeks of his injury. His time with Daphne was a bit slower to return, taking about another week.

It all culminated when Daphne returned home from work frustrated one evening. Ritchie was home early since he was still in only an observational role and Dean and Ginny were both still out working when Daphne blew into the flat, tossed her outer robes, barged into the kitchen, poured a glass of wine, and then flopped onto a nearby stool, looking put out with the world. Ritchie was in the living room reading and watched the whole episode, getting up to stand behind Daphne, rubbing her shoulders gently.

"Rough day love?"

"Ugh, you have no idea. Petty junior bureaucrats. A little to the right. Gods your hands are brilliant."

"You know, my hands could be even more brilliant elsewhere…"

"Don't tempt me Ritchie. I'm trying to let you recover."

"I'm recovered. Ask Dean."

"Damn, don't go putting thoughts in my head."

Ritchie was now leaning forward and nuzzling her neck as his fingers continued to work her shoulders, eliciting a series of moans.

"Gin and Dean won't be home for at least an hour Daph."

"Unhh…damn…alright…"

Daphne spun on the stool and suddenly her lips were on his and Ritchie grinned in satisfaction as he took the pliant witch in his arms and they began stumbling toward a bedroom. Along the way, clothes started being lost as lips traced and suckled. The room they reached was Daphne's by chance and both finished stripping as they fell onto the bed. Ritchie looked down on the gorgeous witch and then dipped his head to take a nipple in his mouth as she moaned in satisfaction. While he worked one side, he ran his hands lower and began to lightly trace her before moving his lips to her other breast. Meanwhile, Daphne took hold of him and began to lightly fondle him, working him to full hardness. Both seemed to know that neither was willing to wait long as Ritchie looked up at her with darkened eyes. With a brief nod, he lined himself up and entered her swiftly, causing a squee of delight that was ended as his mouth captured hers. Soon the sounds in the room were a rhythm of moans and grunts as each began to set a steady pace, desperate for release. After a good while in one position, Daphne rolled them sideways and took over for a bit before she finally approached her climax, reaching it just a minute before her partner. Once both were satisfied, neither bothered to move, instead they curled up and talked languidly until they fell into a pleasant sleep.

It was Ginny who found them a while later when she returned from work and was surprised to find the flat quiet. When she walked into her bedroom, the tangle of two bodies made her smile. She and Dean had their times, but she knew Daphne and Ritchie had been denied lately and she was glad that Ritchie truly was completely on the mend. Deciding to let them sleep a bit longer, she went to start some pasta for an easy dinner since Dean was due home soon.

The next month passed much the same for the foursome with the two primary couples of Dean and Ritchie and Daphne and Ginny and then the two secondary couples that were becoming just as bonded. Dean and Ginny had been together on and off for longer, but Daphne and Ritchie had a chemistry that couldn't be denied. All four would have been fine to keep things as they were, except that wasn't to be the case.

Daphne had been in her internship for six months when the subject of her status came up and she began to look at applying for a permanent coordinator position within the Department for International Magical Cooperation. Unfortunately, being unrated made any position a near impossibility. Similarly, Ritchie was being pressured by the team who wanted all their players to be rated within the year so that they could be in compliance with the DMGS. It seemed time was running out and the law was the main subject of discussion at dinner one evening.

"So Daphne, what are you going to do? Look at other departments for another job?"

"I can try, but all departments in the Ministry want you rated, kind of like how all teams have to comply with the DMGS. There's no way around the law."

Ginny grew contemplative and everyone could tell she had something to say.

"Gin?"

"Well, I can think of one solution for the four of us. It's drastic, but it would solve our problems. Dean is either newblood or halfblood and I'm pureblood. Ritchie is newblood and Daphne is pureblood. If Dean and I marry and Daphne and Ritchie marry, it makes everyone happy. Behind closed doors nothing has to change. I know its drastic."

"Hmm, true, but maybe…"

"Well, it's something to think about."

"We'd have to make the decision as a family. Let's think about it."

Everyone agreed to think about it for a few days, but Daphne only had twelve days left on her job. Something would have to be decided soon. It felt like a weight was hanging over them. Four days after the initial discussion, Dean and Ritchie were together late one evening and talked it over further. Both agreed that, while they were initially hesitant, after a few days the idea had settled and was sounding better to both of them. With their decision made, they planned a nice dinner out with the ladies for a couple of days later to make formal proposals.

The next question that came up was the subject of rings, but both men decided to wait and design special rings as a group that would signify the unique partnership. Both felt a bit unsure not having something to present at their proposals, but this was hardly conventional anyway.

The following Friday night the group of four made their way to a favorite Indian restaurant in their neighborhood. After enjoying all of the many courses, they settled with tea and biscuits at the end of the meal and Dean and Ritchie knew it was time. Both men reached for their respective partners' hands and began to speak together.

"Ginny, I've loved you for years. Now we've developed a unique partnership with the four of us that works amazingly well. Because of the law, we can't bond as we wish, but I would be more than happy if you would agree to be my wife?"

"Daphne, we've been together for a while now and I've come to love the amazing woman you are. Dean may be my primary partner, but you fulfill something in me that I never realized was missing. Because of this law, we can't be together as we wish, but I know you and I could be happy together. Will you marry me?"

Both women looked at the two men and then looked to each other as tears threatened to fall from Ginny's eyes. This was wonderful and difficult at the same time. They both knew that if it wasn't for the law, then this wouldn't be happening. Still, both loved the men who were offering their lives to them. Both Ginny and Daphne took just a moment to confirm with a look to each other before turning back and answering with identical positive responses. Each then sealed the words with long kisses across the table. The final course was finished in record time as each couple was eager to get home for private celebrations.

The very next day the couples made their way to jewelry store where they found four identical rings with four diamonds set in a line. It didn't take long with magic to have the diamonds replaced with an amethyst for Dean, emerald for Ritchie, peridot for Ginny, and topaz for Daphne, with each arranged in order with the first stone being for the person whose ring it was. Each was thus unique and perfect for the bonded foursome.

By the following Monday both the new engagements were registered with the Marriage and Family Registration and Tracking Office and Daphne saw an immediate attitude shift in her department. Although she didn't have a date picked out for the wedding, just being engaged in a class 1 pairing opened up new positions for her in the department. Within the week she had a new position as a departmental travel liaison for French relations. It was still a junior position, but it meant she would be working directly with the embassies in both countries.

As for the other pairing, they saw another side effect to registering in that Dean had no record of his father and was required to take an inheritance test. The results showed nothing magical and gave him no further clue as to who his father was besides the alias that his mother had. Still, it was good news for him and Ginny, meaning he was newblood completely and giving them a category 1 pairing as well.

After announcing their news to the government the next major announcements came with all four families. It was agreed that the foursome would deliver the news as a united front each time, which would be easier in some cases. Deciding to start off easier, the foursome visited Ritchie's single mum, who fixed a shepherd's pie and welcomed the group. She was friendly with Dean and knew of the ladies, but was more than a bit shocked by the engagement. In the end, she accepted Daphne and was fairly understanding.

Next was a visit to Greengrass manor. The foursome were invited to a formal brunch with Daphne's parents and sister all in attendance. Daphne had been open about her and Ginny's relationship, but the Greengrasses had largely chosen to ignore it. At the brunch she and Ginny remained cozy, but then she announced the unusual decision that the foursome had decided on to satisfy the law and announced her engagement as she took Ritchie's hand. Patricia Greengrass seemed stunned and immediately left the table, while Nathaniel Greengrass absolutely forbade his daughter from marrying for 'insane reasons' and insisted he could 'find her a suitable match'. After trying to reason with her father and waiting for her mother to return with no hope in sight, Daphne said goodbye to Astoria and everyone left.

Dean's parents were next and were the easiest to convince. They had always been open to the group and, while not happy about the government's interference, supported the group wholeheartedly.

Finally, it was time for a Sunday supper at the Burrow and Ginny had invited the other three to come with her, informing her parents that she was bringing the other three and not asking for permission. Supper saw everyone in attendance, including Harry and Luna, who were essentially adopted. Hermione was there with Fred of course. The only person missing was Charlie. The foursome all apparated to just outside the wards and then walked into the property. Arthur welcomed Ginny and then said hello to her friends. Ginny had her arm wrapped around Daphne and made their partnership clear. Dean and Ritchie were also holding onto each other and were introduced around. Then Ginny made a point of sitting in Dean's lap while conversation was happening during the starters while her mother was still in the kitchen with the roast, drawing a few stares. Of course it was Ron who said something.

"Oi Ginny, what are you doing? I thought you were a switch witch. Why are you falling all over Dean now?"

Arthur groaned, while George palmed his face. Ron had the subtlety of a bludger.

"Actually Ron, I need to talk to everyone. Oh good mum, you're out of the kitchen, please stay here a moment, I have an announcement."

Ginny proceeded to explain about the foursome's reasoning with the law and their deciding to split into two pairings to make the law happy, but still live as they had been. She then showed everyone her ring to make it even more clear. Molly seemed a bit confused though.

"Oh Ginny, I'm so happy you're settling down. Dean seems quite nice. But you're still living with the others?"

"Yes mum, Dean still loves Ritchie and I love Daphne. We are not giving up on our primary partnerships. I'm bisexual. This marriage is just acknowledging one half of myself."

"But that's so unnatural!"

"Not to me mum."

"Are you happy Gin?"

"Yes dad, the four of us have been quite happy together."

That seemed to good enough for Arthur as he shrugged. Molly just muttered and returned to her roast as the next question was regarding a date for a ceremony and whether it would be a double. That was something that had been discussed, they had agreed to a joint ceremony, but a date still had to be decided.

Soon supper was served and Ginny sat between her two partners. Her mum still kept looking at her a bit strangely, but her dad and brothers seemed to be accepting, so she would take it as a start. And at least her mother hadn't exploded, so she was counting her blessings.

Over the next couple of weeks the foursome began to plan their ceremony and decided on a quiet event to be held in the Wimbourne Gardens, not far from where Ritchie's team played. All of their friends and families were invited, although it was unsure who would actually be attending. The planned date for the wedding was July 7th, which hopefully promised good weather with all the flowers of the garden being in bloom.

The couple of months leading up to the double ceremony saw a flurry of activity as all members of the wedding party remained busy with their jobs, as well as the wedding planning. One happy side effect of the plans was that Molly Weasley seemed to set aside her concerns and threw herself into helping Ginny plan her pending nuptials. She still wasn't openly fond of Daphne, but all of the foursome were welcome at family dinners and the Weasleys seemed to be coming around gradually.

Soon the day arrived of the planned double ceremony and the brides and grooms found themselves in separate quarters, with Daphne and Ginny at the flat with their attendants, Luna and Tracey. Meanwhile Dean and Ritchie were at Grimmauld with Harry and Stewart Ackerley, who were each standing by their mates' sides during the ceremony. Once everyone was ready, they apparated to a greenhouse at the gardens that had a designated apparition point before stepping out to the formal tea gardens where rows of white chairs had been arranged leading up to the magnificent fountains, which would be the backdrop for the vows.

The grooms arrived first and were pleased to see that the wedding coordinator had everything well in hand with half the seats already full. All of the families were in attendance with the exception of Daphne's father, who still refused to acknowledge her choice. Once all the seats were full, the grooms walked their mothers up the aisle, each looking dapper in modern half robes in different shades of blue with cream accents. Once they reached the front, they turned to wait for their ladies.

First up the aisle came Tracey, followed by Luna, each looking beautiful in pale blue dresses and carrying bunches of miniature roses. Following them came the brides, with Daphne first. Each bride wore a more non-magical style wedding dress, each in different shades of white. Daphne's was flowing with crystals while Ginny's was a swirl of organza flowers down the modest train. Both looked resplendent and the grooms were grinning broadly.

The nuptials were presided over by an officiant from the Ministry who opened the ceremony with the magical rite of binding and then proceeded on to more modern vows. Each couple alternated, taking turns with their vows. Next each couple exchanged gold wedding bands to go with their engagement rings, with the women having a more intricate filigree design versus the men's simple bands. Once the rings were exchanged, the magical binding was completed and then the official first kiss was finally announced. After the kisses, all four linked hands and walked back up the aisle together.

After a round of photographs, the wedding party joined all the guests for a festive luncheon held in a marquee in another part of the gardens with an open lawn. The theme for the food was farm fresh and featured a range of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as other luncheon foods for feasting on. After everyone had a chance to eat, two three tier cakes were produced and each couple cut into one before then feeding each other. After the cake, the couples said their goodbyes and left the party. Their next stop was a portkey to Paris for a joint honeymoon for seven days.

The honeymoon ended up being fantastic for all the couples as the foursome bonded even tighter. Although they were now two married couples, they were also two same sex couples and spent equal nights with their other partners. It may have seemed strange to some, but it worked for them.

Arriving back from Paris, the foursome returned to life as normal with their two category 1 pairings making all their jobs that much easier. Even for Ginny, George had admitted that having her registered would make his business dealings easier in the future. The marriages were a bit out of convenience, but as the couples settled into married life, they also knew that there truly were bonds of love between them all.


End file.
